


Seduce Me: The Fall (D)

by Mysterie



Series: Seduce Me [6]
Category: Seduce Me the Otome (video game)
Genre: F/M, Follows_Damien_route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-18 04:54:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 36,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8149769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterie/pseuds/Mysterie
Summary: Mika Crosstar has to impress her guests and her parents at an impromptu housewarming party the evening after she'd moved into the house, that had belong to her late grandfather who had only just passed away two days prior. As if having unexpected house guests in the form of the incubi brothers and being forced into moving in wasn't enough; with the end of the party, Mika thinks she can take a breather until the one that attacked the brother shows up at her front door! Will her life ever be any resemblance of normal? At the end of the day, when it's all said and done.... does she want it to be? Knowing that if she says yes to that question... the boys will walk out of her life forever...





	1. Damien

Damien. The quiet one who could read her mind, who spoke the least and seemed to always be holding back what he, himself, was thinking. In spite of herself, this made her very curious about him, about the life that he had to have led that would make him so withdrawn... even around his brothers. She wondered just how hard it was for him just to fret out his own thoughts from those of others; it couldn’t be easy, that was for sure. She went to the lobby with Damien, who nodded and passed her a dust cloth. 

“We have to dust off the railings and other surfaces before we mop the floor. Is that okay?” Why was he asking that? After all, it only made sense to dust first and then mop, not the other way around. She nodded and rolled up her sleeves, climbing the steps of the staircase slowly. 

“Easy as cake!” Both of them climbed to the top of the stairs on opposite ends, wiping the dust off the railing as they went; however, a silly idea came to her mind. She looked over at Damien, wondering if he could read what she was thinking As expected, Damien looked over at her in surprise before giving her a slightly concerned look. 

“What if you get hurt?” 

“Oh, come on! It’ll be fun! I did it all the time as a kid!” He stared at the rail in thought. Her mind began to wonder how much fun her idea was, hoping her thoughts would convince him. Damien sighed softly before smirking slightly and nodding. 

“Woo!” She quickened her pace on the rail, dusting as quickly as she could as she got to the top. Damien followed quickly behind on the opposite side until they both were at the top of the stairs. They then both jumped up and sat on top of the rails, sliding down each side like a rollercoaster. There was a lot of thought on the execution, but not much to stopping.

“Gahh! Watch out!” 

“Whoa!” Their brakes had become them slamming into each other and landing on the floor, him on top of her. She stared up at him in surprise as he looked down at her in concern; neither of them knew what to say. She stared to laugh; she didn’t know why, but she couldn’t control herself. She closed her eyes and laughed in pure enjoyment of what had just happened. He began to laugh as well, smiling widely. They both ended up laughing like children on the floor; Damien rolled off her and held his stomach as she held hers; they were both completely engulfed in joy. 

“You were right! That was fun!” 

“See? I told you! Hahaha!” They curled into themselves, facing each other in laughter before they looked at each other with smiles; however, Damien’s face softened as his laughter slowly died. He smiled with happiness in his eyes and a blush across his cheeks. She stared in surprise, her face turning red in return but her mind going blank. There was just something about seeing him like this... the pure happiness... laughter and a smile that wasn’t forced or polite... She couldn’t stop staring at Damien’s smile. Something about him was just completely... charming. His eyes held a mixture of happiness and a small bit of yearning... but for what? Soon he stood up and reached a hand down to her, breaking her thoughts. 

“Come on, we need to keep cleaning.” She slowly nodded before taking his hand and standing; she then continued to clean alongside him. The silence that followed while they cleaned was now a companionable one that held the echoes of their laughter and the fun that they had shared for that brief moment. Before she knew it, the hour of the house party had arrived. In her mind, she kept double and triple checking the essentials for the party. Knowing her father, he’d invited his business partners and the executives of the Anderson Company to show her off like some trophy. Not that it would be the first time he’d done so, but she hated that he did. Her thoughts went right back to her reflection though, which stood in front of her; she was staring at her own form as a million thoughts race through her mind. It was just a housewarming party, but at the same time... it wasn’t. It was her chance to show her father that she was better than his expectations. A chance for her parents to see her as a woman. A test to see if she was ready to live on her own. Well, she wasn’t truly alone; she had the incubi to thank for that, but even so. She didn’t have her father guiding her or her mother helping her through living alone. A knock on her door broke her thoughts, surprising her. 

“Who is it?” 

“Hey, are you okay in there? Your parents should be here soon, so you should hurry getting ready.” Right... Naomi and Suzu had arrived early to support her. 

“Well, I’m ready but-” 

“But what? I’m sure you look fine, Mika. Just come on out!” Suzu interrupted. 

“Alright...” As soon as she opened the door to the hall, she watched her friends’ face turn from smiles to complete awestruck stares at the dress she had chosen. It was a shoulder dress, leaving her shoulders bare but covering her modestly even as there were sleeves that hung just below her shoulders and it draped elegantly over her form to her ankles, it was like a dark crimson curtain that gently hugged her figure. She wore a string of spaced out pearls around her neck and her shoes matched her dress in color. Naomi had chosen to wear a dress that had no sleeves at all and almost seemed like something a younger girl would wear as it was frilly, even if it stopped halfway down her thighs, the white ribbon beneath her chest was tied in a bow and only gave the impression - in Mika’s mind, that it was a dress caught between being adult and being childish. She also wore a headband that matched the bow on her dress, a small bow decorated one side of the headband. Suzu, ever the tomboy, had come in a white shirt and black pants, a neon green coat covered the shirt. A jade necklace around her neck matched the jacket she wore, giving her a sort of odd elegance as it was certainly a mix between dressing like a guy but the jewelry was definitely a sign of the girl within.  

“W-what?” 

“Dude, you look hot.” As if she needed more of a reason for the blush already on her face...

“Yeah! You look amazing!! Where did you get that dress?” 

“I’ve had it for a while. I just never had the chance to wear it. I figured I might as well bring it out now.” She smiled, glad that her friends approved of it. That was only half the truth though, the boys hadn’t seen her in a dress yet; she wanted to see their reactions.  _ If I’m being truthful though... there’s only one whose reaction I truly wish to see... _


	2. The Social

Mika closed the door of her room behind her as she stepped out. As she walked down the hall to the grand lobby, the incubi were waiting for her at the bottom. All of them dressed to the nines as proper servants, each was a little different though, as if to suit their various personalities. While each was dressed in a tuxedo, James had a gold vest that peeked out from beneath his jacket, Sam had a green waistband, Erik stood out the most really with his shirt being a dark maroon, Matthew wore a blue vest beneath his, but it was Damien who drew her eyes the longest... if only for a mere fraction of a second. He wore only the simple tuxedo but it seemed to suit him very well and seemed more fitting for him than any splash of color like the others wore. Jamie’s own attire, in her opinion, seemed just a little too proper... almost stiflingly so. Still, she couldn’t help the blush that covered her face as Naomi spoke up behind her. 

“Whoa!! They really know how to dress well, don’t they?” “Yeah....” She tried not to make it obvious that she was looking directly at James as her blush seemed to only deepen. She was slightly taken aback at how great the boys looked in uniform; each had the poise of a perfect gentleman, even Sam. They seemed to watch her as she made her way slowly down steps with Naomi and Suzu following her. She felt as if they were knights awaiting their princess, her. It didn’t help the flush on her cheeks, but she shook herself to try and regain her thoughts and be rid of such a ridiculous notion. She was no princess and the boys before her were not knights. James stepped forward to take her hand and walked her down the final step with a smile.

“As beautiful as a princess, miss.”  _ Ah... not helping... but thanks James. _ Instead of saying what she thought she smiled.

“Thank you.” 

“So, are you prepared for tonight?” Honestly?

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” There was no denying her nerves, which were on edge about the entire thing, but she had to try. The party was more than what it seemed and she’d done all that she could to prepare for it in what little time her father had actually given her. Now, it was all up to fate. At least it seemed that way. She just hoped she could get through the night without fumbling for answers; there was no doubt in her mind that there would be questions coming from the company members attending. The other boys smiled assuringly at her, which made her feel a little better about everything and reminded her that she wasn’t really alone in this. She looked at her phone; almost as if on cue, the doorbell rang. She gulped, knowing that it was her parents; she could practically feel her father’s aura from behind the door. Sam and Erik rushed to the doors, opening the double doors wide to reveal her parents, both who were dressed in their best. Her father in the same tux he had worn to her grandfather’s funeral and her mother was in an elegant midnight blue dress that was modest, but still elegant.

“Hey mom. Hey dad.” 

“Oh my! I didn’t know your bequeathment came with servants....” 

“It was probably overlooked. Besides, who would deny good service?” Mika was completely shocked; her parents  **didn’t** questions the boys?! They didn’t ask for some type of verification or anything?!? She glanced to Sam and Erik, noticing that they were staring intently at her parents. Were they using their powers on them? Was that something they could do? She decided that it had to be. He rule had only been in terms of hurting guests, but in this case it was in a sort of self-defense... There was no way her parents would be okay with this otherwise.

“I guess the servants counted as belongings to the house.” She really did NOT want to hear that from her father. The boys weren’t possessions! How could he think such a thing?  _ Ugh... dad! Then again... he always did think less of those in positions below him... _ She sighed inwardly; at least it meant that the two weren’t going to cause any problems and likely any of the others who arrived wouldn’t question the boys either; likely assuming that they were hired servants, just as they seemed to act. Mika didn’t have much time to think on that though as her mother rushed to give her a big hug; she hugged her back and could smell perfume on her. It had only been a couple of days, but living away from the people who had raised her was hard. Her mother released her and took a step back to look at Mika’s attire. 

“Gorgeous. You look so lovely. David, look at your daughter and tell her I’m right.” Mika looked to her father, who was looking around the lobby like an inspector. She stood her ground, waiting for him to look at her as her mother had said to. When he did, he let a small smile grace his lips.

“Your mother’s right. You look like you’re all grown up.” The world around her seemed to stop as her heart pounded hard in her chest; had her dad just... complimented her? On his own accord? Her mother was grinning ear to ear at her husband’s words. She was beyond speechless for a moment, a blush on her cheeks, but soon that faded as she smiled and the world seemed to continue to go on again.

“Thank you, dad.” That was exactly what she’d been hoping for right? For her parents to see that she was now a young woman and not a child; however, his cold face quickly returned as he began to look around once again at everything. She wondered if he hated this place simply for the fact that it had once been her grandfather’s home. 

“I assume that you’re ready, then, to impress the rest of the guests, correct?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“The entire board from Anderson Toys is coming tonight. Even the Vice-Chairman’s son will be coming. All of them will be measuring your potential.” 

“My potential?” What ideas had he filled their heads with? 

“To become CEO of the company.”  _ Of course... I should have known.... _ She knew that something had been off about this party; it had become more than she’d anticipated. Gulping silently, she nodded in response before glancing over to the incubi, but they seemed too busy being ‘servants’ for her father’s approval to offer any reassurance like they had before. Not that she faulted them for the act, but even just a hint of assurance would have been nice. She glanced behind her to Naomi and Suzu who raised their thumbs at her for encouragement, causing her to let out a small breath as she felt herself accept the situation. She felt like a weight had been consumed and now settled in her gut, but she knew she had to hide it. As if time zoomed forward, all of the sudden the main hall of the lobby was full of guests; men and women in formal or business attire who showed up to meet her and see her new home. She didn’t expect many to come, but she was once again surprised that night as there was quite the crowd. She shook hands with many officials and executive members, putting on the professional face her dad had trained her to have all her life; she felt overwhelmed, but she hid it well behind a small smile and a handshake. Many even asked her questions and she did her best to reply as maturely as possible; she had to remember: say what they want to hear, not what you want to say.


	3. A Hitch

Not that remembering that made it any easier to answer the questions that seemed to come at a rapid pace at times. It seemed that someone always had a question for her, whether it was about her future plans or about the company. Mika had to respond easily even while thinking fast about what it was each person wanted to hear rather than what she wished to say. She’d felt like the questions just came up one after the other, the ones that were the toughest to answer weren’t about herself, but the company. After what seemed like a long string of answering various things, eventually the questions stopped and she was able to go back to being herself. Naomi and Suzu mingled through the crowds while the incubi did their “jobs” of being servants; she was all alone in a room full of strangers. It was unnerving to think about, but at least she wasn’t being questioned left and right anymore, being required to give answers that were half truths or not even true at all. Suddenly Mika saw her mother push her way through the crowd to her, bringing along someone that she didn’t know, a young man who looked to be around her age with sandy blonde hair and kind golden brown eyes.

“Honey, I’d like to introduce you to someone! This kind gentleman is the son of the Vice-Chairman.”  From what she could see, he was likely only a couple years older than she, herself, was. He held out his hand to her, silently asking for her hand with a smile. 

“Hi, I’m Andrew Lewis. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Crosstar.” She took his hand with a smile of her own. Instead of giving a handshake, however, he raised her hand to his lips and placed a kiss over her knuckles. She felt her face burn slightly at the gesture; Andrew smiled at her before releasing her hand. 

“I’m honored to be invited here.” Her mother smiled at the both of them, which made Mika slightly concerned. Why was she excited to introduce her to Andrew? 

“So, um... you organized this party very well, Ms. Anderson.”

“Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome. Praise is very much deserved.” He then chuckled nervously, bringing a soft fist up to his lips to cover his laugh properly before smiling at her. 

“I’m sorry if I seem a little forward, haha. I’ve just been excited to meet Harold Anderson’s granddaughter.”  _ Is that all I am to everyone here? Just “Harold Anderson’s granddaughter” ?  _ Still, she was curious as to why he seemed so eager to meet her. Why anyone was really.

“Huh? Why?” 

“He used to talk about you all the time in the office on how you helped him refine his toys. I only attended meetings and heard all of the stories. You’ve helped a lot with the success of the company without having to actually work there, haha!”  _ I did?  _

“Oh, wow... I didn’t know he talked about me...” That explained everyone’s fascination with her and the rather personal questions. She looked at Andrew, who showed a kind face in return; something about him seemed off and she didn’t know what it was. He seemed to be hiding something. Whether it was good or bad, but she was not able to find out because her father chose at that moment to appear, much to her annoyance. She glanced over her shoulder at him, he was giving Andrew his cold stare and she could see that Andrew was suddenly tense because of it. 

“So, you’re Jared’s son?” Had she a knife to cut air with... she’d be able to as thick as the tension suddenly became; not to mention almost frigid. Why did her father have to do that with everyone who was around her? Andrew seemed to twitch slightly; whether it was fear or insult she wasn’t sure as he locked eyes with her father. She couldn’t help but feel the tension grow between them. It irked her just how fragile the air had become so suddenly, enough to break at a single wrong word. 

“You’re the one who wants to be the next CEO of the Anderson company?” That question annoyed her to no end.

“Well...” Yet she waited to see what Andrew would say to such a blatant question. This guy wanted to take her grandfather’s place as CEO? She had thought that the Vice-Chairmen wanted the position... or was it that he was being pushed towards it like she was? 

“David, leave the poor boy alone.” Mika felt some relief in that she wasn’t the only one irritated by her father’s choice of words; especially at his response.

“I’m merely testing the boy’s conversational skills. Nothing wrong with that.”  _ No, but you’re practically accusing him of wanting to be the CEO, the same position you’re forcing ME into! _ She fumed inwardly. 

“Of course not, sir.” 

“And polite as well. Interesting.” Interesting? Could he  **be** any more insulting?!

“I-if you’ll excuse me...” He quickly retreated from her parents into the crowd of people. Feeling ashamed, annoyed and angered by her father, Mika quickly followed him, wanting to be sure that he was alright. She felt a little embarrassed that her father had put him on the spot like that. She at least felt she needed to apologize. It was her party after all, he’d had no right to do that. They wound up outside. The stars danced on the grass as they stood in the backyard of the mansion. It had been her first time in years being out there, but her thoughts were on the nostalgia of the moment. 

“Hey, Andrew?” He turned to her in surprise; however, his face was completely red in embarrassed humiliation; she felt even worse. 

“Oh, I- um... I didn’t see you or hear you following. Sorry.” 

“No, no, it's fine. I should be the one to apologize.” 

“What for? You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“I mean for the way my dad behaved... He shouldn’t have been so...” What was the right word? 

“Oh no! No, it’s fine! I mean... I should have expected it and been more prepared, haha!” He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a goofy grin, not too unlike the one Matthew had given her earlier that evening. It was intriguing, seeing Andrew’s professional side and then seeing a goofy smile, away from everyone else. 

“Still, I’m sorry for that.” She felt she needed to say that, he seemed like he had a good heart. 

“It’s not a problem, really, but thank you.” The two of them smiled at each other before she reached out her hand to him. He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Mika. My name is Mika.” Understanding replaced the confusion quickly and his smile returned before he took her hand and gently shook it. 

“That’s a pretty name. I’m happy to know it now.” 

“Nah, it’s not that nice.” 

“I have to disagree with you. It’s much better than ‘Andrew.’ I mean, who names their kid Andrew?” 

“A lot of people do!” 

“But what about ‘Axel’? Or ‘Ace’? Something cool like that?” She couldn’t help but laugh; he was pretty chill for a guy who was supposed to be a Vice-Chairman’s son. He grinned and laughed along with her. She didn’t know why, but she felt warm. Whether it was the almost non-existent breeze or the sudden situation they found themselves in... It felt... nice.

“Lewis.” The sound of her father’s voice startled her, and just like that, the feeling had vanished. They both turned to see her father at the doors of the mansion, staring at Andrew with what looked like a deadly glare... if looks could kill. Andrew straightened up, trying to maintain a business posture. 

“Y-yes sir?” 

“Your limo is in the front. The driver has requested that you return home. Now.” 

“Oh. A-alright. Thank you, sir.” Andrew quickly nodded to her before speeding back into the mansion to leave. As she took a step to follow him, her father stepped in front of her to block her way.  

“Dad...”  _ Now _ what was he doing? 

“I don’t want to hear it. Do not become friendly with him. He wants to take the company away from us. You have no reason to be friends with him.” Before she could retort, he turned away and walked back inside, muttering about how the party was nearing an end. That didn’t stop her from glaring daggers into his back. Since when did he have the right to tell her who she could and couldn’t become friends with! She didn’t care if Andrew wanted the company, he was at least  _ nice _ about it! He’d treated her like a person, like the boys had, not like some trophy doll to dress up, show off to others like a prize and push into a life she might not even want without as much as a ‘by your leave’! She couldn’t remember being quite so angry with him at any time before her grandfather had passed. 


	4. Bad Luck

With a sigh, she entered the house as well, wanting the party to end immediately; she was sick of her father already and it had only been a couple of hours. Eventually only Suzu, Naomi, her parents, and the incubi were left. Her father walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile; she stared up at him, a wave of confusion washing over her face. 

“What?” 

“You did good tonight. I’m proud.” 

“O-oh! ... Thank you, dad.” 

“Keep it up and you’ll be a good CEO.” 

“Oh... right.”  _ Not that again.... _

“Alright. Your mother and I have to leave. I’m sure Naomi and Suzu need to leave as well. Just because it’s Saturday doesn’t mean you should stay up all night.”  _ After all  _ this...  _ hardly my plan. _

“O-oh! Right!” Not like she could ever say her thoughts aloud to her father, that would go poorly. Naomi walked over to her first.

“Thanks for having us! It was a great party.” 

“We’ll come visit tomorrow or something, alright?” 

“Right. See ya!” She smiled as her friends moved to the door.

“Goodnight, sweetie. Come visit us soon.” 

“Will do.” All four of them left the building, all but her father waving back to her. With the last of the guests gone, Mika sighed and sat on the staircase, exhausted. The incubi gathered over near her. 

“Phew... That was tiring...” 

“It’s not like you had to do any work, though.” Of course Sam would say that. 

“Give her a break, man. She was getting interrogated left and right!”  _ Thanks Matthew... _

“She handled herself the best she could.” Damien added.

“As expected, princess.” She couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Since you’re exhausted, why not head to bed? We can clean up.”

“Ughhhh!!!” 

“Hush, Sam.” Erik gently rebuked him. 

“Are you guys sure?” 

“Positive. It shouldn’t take long!” Matthew always did seem the most upbeat of them, his smile was infectious. 

“Oh-ho-ho! It didn’t take long to find you little shits, after all!” Her mouth dropped open in surprise... she knew that voice! It appeared the boys did as well. She felt a hot shudder go down her spine; it was the voice from her dreams! She looked around, panicked, alongside the incubi. James place a hand on her shoulder, trying to remain calm. 

“Don’t worry. No one will hurt you.” He said evenly.

“Are you sure? Are you  _ really _ sure?” Their heads shot towards the doors, finally pinning down the direction of the voice. The doors swung open quickly, revealing a sight Mika would never have expected to see. A young man stood, skin red as blood, black and gold eyes piercing into hers from beneath a mop of white hair, roughened-up clothes and a pistol in his hand; she saw a monster. A hand covered her mouth so not to scream at the sight. Dried blood covered the red bandana round his neck as he smirked at the group. Beside him was a similar looking woman in matching thug-like clothes with red eyes beneath flame-like hair.

“Awww, what’s the matter, boys? You really didn’t think I wouldn’t find you, did you?” 

“I hoped you would, you piece of-” Sam didn’t get a chance to finish as the man raised his gun at Sam’s face and instantly pulled the trigger. A shot rang out through the air, everyone gasped in shock, expecting to see a bullet run through Sam’s face... but... 

“Wha... What the fuck?!” Nothing had happened. 

“W-wha...” Sam was just as shocked as everyone else. Why hadn’t the gun worked? What should have been a headshot ended with a loud, but empty blank shot. The pistol echoed it's empty shots as the man grew more and more pissed, pulling the trigger over and over in aggravation. Luckily, for Mika’s ears, it became quieter after the first shot. 

“Why the fuck won’t you work?!” 

“This place is protected.” Damien spoke up. 

“What did you say, shrimp?!” 

“This place has a seal, protecting it from Hell-borne magic.” 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!” Mika thought about it a moment, she didn’t fully understand herself, but she sort of grasped the idea. Sort of like some element from some of the fantasy comics Suzu read every once and a while. The man growled and threw his gun at Sam who ducked in time. The pistol bounced off the ground a couple of times before sliding further away, hitting the wall in a final stop; once it stopped moving it faded into black flame that then disappeared into the air. 

“The previous owner had this place protected by magic, Malix.” Matthew replied, Mika could see that he was just as ready to fight as the other boys were if it came to that. She’d never seen Matthew angry until now. Malix. That was his name. His existence resonated in her memory from the dream that she’d had; yet she looked at Matthew with the same confusion that Malix did. Her grandfather had the place protected by magic? How had he? How had he known? 

“This place is protected by... magic?” 

“It would seem that your grandfather had some sort of protective barrier put around this house. From the looks of it, it only disables Hell-borne magic.” James put in, could he actually  **see** the magic? If so... could the others? Malix’s face was soon overcome with extreme anger, his fists tightening at his sides as if he was crushing a stress ball and Mika had a feeling that if he didn’t feel out matched... he might have resorted to punching. 

“Then what’s stopping me from dragging YOUR ASSES OUT AND SHOOTING YOU THEN?!” What indeed? Out of pure instinct that surged through her, Mika stepped forward, placing herself between Malix and the boys. With no power, Malix couldn’t really fight and she took that chance to stand up to him instead of being powerless like she’d been in the dream.

“Get out of my house.” Malix growled at her, walking right up to her and leaning close to her face. She glared back, feeling her courage skyrocket. 

“Since when does a little stain like you give orders to a guy who can rip your pretty little head from your body?” 

“You really don’t think do you? If you kill me, you’d be hunted down by more than just the police.” 

“You little-!!” As if sensing his intention, she ducked underneath Malix’s incoming hand as it shot out. She stared at his hand, and the black flame tattoo embedded on it,in surprise as she took a couple steps back from him. Matthew and Damien instantly stepped in front of her, guarding her from a second attack from Malix. 

“Hehehe. A quick one! I’m liking you more and more!” 

“Back off, Malix!” 

“Don’t start acting tough, you pathetic excuse of a demon. You need more protection than her...” Mika gritted her teeth at the implication. 

“Shut up!!”

“Awww, did I make the little Matthew cry? Why don’t you just GROW A PAIR?!” She glared daggers at Malix from where she stood behind Matthew and Damien as Matthew growled in response. Far as she was concerned, Malix wasn’t even half the man Matthew was. 

“Enough, Malix!” The woman spoke up; she’d been standing in silence the whole time; she planted a firm hand on Malix’s shoulder and he looked back at her with a growl and a glare that might kill if looks could.

“Since when did you get the guts to speak out of place?!” 

“We both know you’ve never controlled me. I want them dead just like you do, but now’s not the time.” 

“Fuck off. I know what I’m doing.” 

“Do you? Even if you did fight them, there’s five against two. We’d never win.” The she-devil... thing... spoke the exact words that Mika was thinking of just then. This wasn’t a fight in his favor. He’d have to be an idiot to attack them.

“SHUT UP!” 

“LET’S GO, MALIX! WE’RE WASTING OUR TIME!” The two growled at each other; if they could have used their magic, she swore she could sense that fire would have glowed from under their teeth as they glared at one another. Malix grunted and turned to glare back at the boys. He pointed at James, as if wanting to use his fingers like a knife or something like it. He laughed.

“Just wait, pretty boys. We’ll get you and fuck you up  **real** good. Ahahahaha!!” Malix then turned to her, moving his finger to point directly between her eyes.

“And don’t think you’re safe. Mm-mm... Step outside. I  _ dare _ you! Wahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!” The two then walked out of the mansion; the doors closed behind them by some invisible force, leaving the boys and Mika alone once again. It was official. This night had just gotten worse.


	5. Voice of My Love?

She felt her knees give out from under her, forcing the boys to move quickly to catch her to make sure she didn’t fall.

“Whoa, whoa! Are you alright?” She was too tired from the stress to really register that it was Sam who had spoken. 

“Y-yeah... why was he here?” 

“He’s been closely tracking us... Our blood trail from the forest must have led him here.” Damien replied, he looked ready to release a sigh at any moment. Matthew growled a little in irritation.

“We should have stopped him and finished it here...” 

“For once, Matthew, I agree with you.” Sam said, it was odd to hear. She stood up and rubbed her arms, feeling goosebumps left from Malix being so close. She couldn’t stop herself from shivering in a bit of fear of his words. 

“Malix... was he... a demon?” Uncertainty rang in her tone. What had she gotten herself into?

“That son-of-a-bitch is not a demon. He’s a devil.” 

“A devil? There’s a difference?” 

“Yes. Demons come from a different plane of existence called the Abyssal Plains. Devils, however, come from one of the seven circles of a place humans know as Hell. Despite us not being human, we are very different creatures.” She could hear the disgust in Erik’s tone, it wasn’t like him at all... but then again this night had been anything but normal. 

“We actually have brains for one.” Sam seemed to take up the rest of the reply, as if it were needed.

“Devils always like to cause trouble and try to kill or torture others for their own enjoyment. Demons like us know when to use our powers and when not to. We’re not stupid.” 

“Devils follow orders from higher ups in their order and their powers only comes from their connection to Hell. Demons all have free wills and don’t rely on where they come from to use their powers.” Matthew was the next to speak up; that was odd, were they taking turns or something? This was all so confusing. Demons, devils and magic all existed and she had happened to manage to land smack dab in the middle of it all. 

“What do we do..?” 

“You’re safe. You’ve been protected as well.” Damien spoke up again, she was a little surprised James hadn’t said anything yet. Apparently he was content to let his brothers speak up. Wait... protected?

“What?” 

“What Damien’s saying is that the magic that protects this place also protects you.” Matthew answered, great... so they were taking turns answering her questions. Finally James spoke up, answering one of the questions she’d thought of earlier but had nearly forgotten until now.

“Your grandfather must have cast it when you last saw him or something of that nature. We can sense it's aura around your body.” She couldn’t believe her ears. This was the third day of surprises and this one took the cake! She felt her head beginning to spin as her mind tried to comprehend all of what she’d just been told. What had she gotten herself into...? 

“Miss, please don’t worry. We’ll find a way to train ourselves and become stronger to finally finish this feud.” She glanced from James to the other boys who seemed to share the same opinion on that score. Sam growled.

“I wanna kick his ass  **right** now.” She didn’t blame him for that, she’d felt the same way when he’d threatened the boys.  _ I’ve only known them for a couple of days and yet they’re already like family to me... how can this be? _ She wondered silently. 

“Until then, we’ll protect you as much as we can. If Malix comes back, we’ll be here for you.” Erik added and she smiled a little at his reassurance. She knew from their expressions that the boys were all in agreeance, they would help protect her... but she couldn’t simply stay shut up in the mansion.

“But what about going outside? Won’t he...?” She trailed off, she still had to go to school and there was no way she’d be excused from it on the premise that she was in danger from a devil. No one would believe it. 

“Like we said, you have a protection spell on you. Even if Malix attacks you, he won’t be able to use his magic on you. He’d be just like any other human you can fight back against.” She looked back over at Matthew, that was only mildly reassuring; if it was just Malix, she could take him, but what if he brought reinforcements or got ahold of a non-magic weapon? Fighting against Malix might not be the best option then. 

“Didn’t you say you knew taekwondo?” 

“Well, yeah.” She looked at Sam; even so, that skill would be next to useless if he brought weapons like guns to the fight. While she felt somewhat relieved that she was mostly safe from Malix she still could not help but feel very nervous and apprehensive about the future. The boys were safe here to train and become stronger, but what if Malix did the same? That too, was a problem. She was lost about how her grandfather knew about magic, he’d never seemed to indicate that he did; she knew that she would have to find out. At least time was on her side. She went to bed that night feeling nervous despite the reassuring words of the incubi; she felt like a target to something she’d never be able to explain or prove to anyone else. Magic? Devils? Demons? How did all this even happen? Should she really meddle with the situation further? 

“They are only staying until after they defeat Malix...” She muttered to herself as she prepared for bed. The thought struck her hard moments later. _ That’s right... They said they’d only stay until after they defeated him. After that, my life will go back to normal... Temporary insanity, as K would say...  _ The question was, then, would she  **want** them to leave? If her life went back to normal, then she’d have to care for the house all on her own; she’d get to focus on her life instead of being distracted by the boys. She’d have to. There’d be no choice once they were gone. 

“My life...” She muttered to herself.Where  _ was _ her life going anyway? She was under pressure from her parents with only her friends and the boys to comfort her. Without the boys, she’d have no way to hide from her ‘responsibilities’... She shook the thoughts from her head.

“I’ll just sleep and deal with tomorrow when it comes.” Defeating her sense of thought, she forced herself to sleep, unsure of what tomorrow had planned; hopefully, whatever the future had for her, she would be ready for it. She closed her eyes then and drifted off.

“I promise to be with you forever...”

“You’re so important to me...”

“I swear I’ll give my life to you.” 

“Please, let me love you.”

“I’ll be by your side. Always.” 

“I can’t imagine living without you!” 

“I want to be with you.” 

“I love you.” Mika slowly opened her eyes, letting the voices of her dream echo in her head and force her awak. She rubbed her eyes before sitting up and looking at the clock, even as curiosity filled her; what had that been about? Each of the voices had been different and while they had said different things, she had a feeling that.. In some way or another, they had all meant the same thing. The last of the voices had said it plainly. She almost did a double take.  _ 7 am... Why am I up so early...?  _ She shook away the memory of the dream for now as she fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep; however, something kept her awake. What and why?


	6. Early Up

“It’s too early to even be alive...” She grumbled at the thing keeping her awake, there was no response; not that she expected there to be. After several minutes she gave up trying to get back to sleep and sat up, staring at the fireplace from across her bed. A sigh escaped from her before she threw her legs over the side of the bed. What to do at seven in the morning... After a moment’s thought she decided it might be a good idea to work on her homework. She didn’t have much else to do really and she had school tomorrow regardless of what was happening in her life. At that moment, she wished school was over so it would be one less thing for her to deal with. 

“Welp... Might as well get it done now...” She reluctantly took her books out of her bag that sat on the floor. She made her bed into a study picnic area and began to work through her homework. The benefit of doing homework in the morning? Not having to do it later. The downside? Mornings sucked for trying to use your brain for anything educational. 

“The formula for fixed costs is FC plus VC times Q = TC. Marginal costs is total costs minus fixed costs...” She muttered to herself, trying to help her brain remember all of this. She felt her mind slowly start to ramp up the flow of logical though, speeding up the time she was working on each economic equation that she had. It wasn’t a matter of being smart about anything when it came to doing homework or doing well in class, but she was quick to learn and easily retained the information. 

“Heh, if only I could learn about the boys this fast...” She stopped. Did she really just compare learning about demons to learning about economics? 

“It’s 7am... it’s too early to be alive, let alone make sense...” She rationalized... or tried to. She shook her head and went back to her homework. When it was all done she returned to bed, feeling the weight of the morning drag her back under her covers to try to sleep again. She had energy, but she wanted more sleep now. It was Sunday and nothing was happening today. So she shut her eyes and tried to slow her breathing; feeling herself begin to relax, she thanked her lucky stars that she hadn’t run into one of the boys. When she looked at her phone to check the time again she found that it was noon; yet she felt like she’d slept for much longer than that. 

“Why is time going so slowly?” She muttered to herself; with a sigh she got up and changed in a button up shirt with a blue vest over it and pulled on some blue jeans. As a last minute thought, she grabbed a navy blue ribbon and tied it around her neck into a bow. After giving her reflection a quick glance to make sure she looked decent, she headed out into the main hall and sat on the stairs. Sundays were very boring usually; however, the muffled sounds of battle caught her attention. Wondering what could be going on, she hurried down the steps and out to the back yard where she had heard the noise coming from. What she saw made her smile a little in relief; all five of the boys were practicing fighting. Sam was currently in the middle with the other four surrounding him, throwing punches and kicks at him. Sam, being the strongest of the bunch, blocked and dodged each of the attacks almost masterfully. After watching them a moment she decided it was probably best not to disturb them; they were very much in their own little world, focusing on the training. James had said the night before that they would train, so she didn’t want to interrupt; instead, she headed back inside and checked the time when she arrived in the kitchen. She was getting hungry and she was sure the boys would need to eat soon themselves, so lunch was a must. It had been a while since she’d cooked anything. She might as well make lunch for them all today, after all hadn’t they done most of the cooking and such since they’d arrived? It only seemed right that she do something for them while they were busy doing all they could to help protect her and lunch wasn’t particularly hard to make. She looked in the various cupboards and fridge before she decided on what to make. The boys would need to keep up their strength if they were going to train again after lunch, so a simple meal of chicken and rice would be a good choice. The protein would keep up both their energy and their strength. She took her time to make almost perfect chicken breasts alongside the rice. Cooking wasn’t hard unless you didn't know what you were doing in the first place. Once done, she placed the food in the dining room; however, none of the boys were there by the time she’d finished bringing out the final plate with the meal on it. She carried that dish to the main lobby only to catch sight of the boys separating into different rooms of the house. She wondered what was up with that. Part of her wanted to go to one in particular. The other part of her wanted to just leave them be and take the food in her hand to her room to eat. Maybe she could go out today while the boys focused on training; but if she did that, she’d miss an opportunity to be alone with Damien. She knew what she wanted to do and quickly rushed back to grab a second food dish before hunting down one of the boys; she looked down each hall, trying to find one of incubi wandering so that she wouldn’t have to go through each individual room. She pursed her lips in irritation when she didn’t see them. 

“Where the heck are they?” She sighed, knowing she’d have to search for them in each room. She quickly turned and headed up the stairs, she began to walk down a hall and opened a random door, peeking inside.Lucky enough, she found Damien in the study; she didn’t recognize the room. There was a nice desk and a display case full of toys, books and memorabilia. She had never entered this room before, but Damien looked like he knew this room like the back of his hand. He was gazing at the pictures and books on the shelf, almost looking lost and dazed. It was almost adorable, but she could sense a small  hint of sadness in his eyes.

“Damien?” 

“Huh? Oh. Hello.” He turned and gave her a gentle smile, as if he was doing nothing as she’d come in. She entered the room and closed the door behind her. 

“I was just looking at the books. They’re very interesting topics...” 

“Huh?” She looked over at the shelf and skimmed over the spines of each book; they were all about business and psychology, all ranging in thickness. Some crossed over and brought the two topics together while others were strictly one or the other. Had her grandfather read and studied all of theses? They seemed used, but were covered by a small layer of dust.

“Do humans really study this much?”

“Occasionally. It depends on why we’re studying.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Well... if we are interested in a topic, like business, we learn what we can because we want to know more.” 

“Are there things you can’t study?” She thought about that one a moment. 

“Nope. There are books and stuff about anything and everything.” 

“Even the demon world?” 

“Maybe, but usually those books are considered fiction or religious theory.” It was sort of cute, talking about learning with Damien. She guessed that learning was different in the demon world, but telling him about learning was almost like telling a child the meaning of life. She felt herself become a little wiser as they continued talking. 

“Humans can learn anything, at any time?” 

“Mmmhmm. We have libraries and bookstores full of books we can read.” 

“Humans have the freedom to learn anything...” As far as she knew they did; she looked at him in confusion. He seemed... jealous... 

“What about demons? Can they learn what they want?” Damien shook his head before looking down at his feet.

“Demons don’t have schools to learn from like humans do. Everything we learn comes from experience or verbal mentoring. Books are only permitted to be read by higher nobles.” That sounded like one of her history lessons... where there was a time were only those who were nobles or royalty knew how to read and write... and everyone else had to just believe that what they said was really what was written on the paper that the person was reading from. She couldn’t help but stare though. There were no schools in the Abyssal Plains? That seemed so unreal, yet in a way, she wasn’t that surprised. 


	7. Not Like Them

“The only ones who have ever touched a book are James and Erik, since they are the oldest. Sam and Matthew chose not to read.” 

“What about you?” He stood silent for a bit before sitting on the ground, leaning back against the large desk in the room. She decided to follow along and sat beside him. 

“You brought food?” 

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, I brought food. Here.” 

“Thank you.” She’d become so engrossed in their conversation that she’d forgotten about it and her own hunger. He took his plate and began to politely eat; she followed suit, but the question she’d asked had been unanswered; it was painfully obvious that he was dodging the question. Did she really want to know? After a moment she decided she did; however, Damien looked at her, stopping her from opening her mouth to ask again. 

“Because I’m technically not a noble at all.” She tilted her head and raise an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Not a noble? But aren’t you all brothers? If the others are nobles, that would make you one.” He looked down at his dish with a sigh. She suddenly felt regret for asking and pushing the topic; before she could apologize, however, Damien spoke again.

“We’re all half brothers. We only share the same father. Our mothers are all different. James, Erik, Sam and Matthew all had noble mothers who are now queens. My mother was not a noble and is not a queen.” His last statement was said very quietly, she could see the sadness in his eyes that had been reflected in his tone. She bit her lip.  _ I shouldn’t have pushed the issue. _

“I’m sorry...” He shook his head, snapping out of his own thoughts, and smiled at her. 

“For what? You didn’t know and were curious. It was only appropriate to answer.” But he didn’t have to... he could have just brushed her off. 

“Still, it was rude of me to pry like that. I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what else to say. He only smiled lightly at her before continuing to eat. As he ate, her mind began to wander to the Abyssal Plains. What was it like? What did it look like? Was their castle big? How many servants did they have? Were they the only nobles in the castle? Were they the only ones living in the castle besides the servants? Her thoughts halted by the sound of Damien chuckling, most likely at her thoughts; she turned red in embarrassment. 

“Sorry.” 

“You keep saying sorry when you don’t need to. It’s kind of cute, hehe.” That only made her blush deepen. This was going nowhere... so she went back to eating in futility, earning another chuckle from Damien. Moments later, however, she stopped when a groan of pain escaped Damien’s lips and she looked at him in surprise. 

“Damien? Are you okay?” Had he hurt himself during training? 

“Y-yeah... it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” She heard him gulp, however, and attempt to hide another groan; that just made her even more concerned about him than before. What could be causing so much pain?

“Damien...”  

“It’s... it’s just a headache. I get it when I run out of... mnnnah... energy. I’ll be fine.” He was out of energy? She had to guess he hadn’t taken enough when they’d first met... so it had been just enough to heal his wounds. 

“None of us took... ughh... more than we needed to heal...” This revelation surprised her. From the sound of his voice, he was fighting back major pain. She felt incredibly bad; Damien gave her a very light smile. 

“I’ll be fine...” If he needed energy, she was willing to give it. 

“Damien-” He turned from her before she could finish her sentence. 

“N-no! No... I’ll be fine! I’m used to this...” Used to it? Used to pain?! There was no way that was okay. She glared at his back before grabbing his shoulders and forcing him around. He stared at her in surprise. 

“Damien. Let me help you. Please. I don’t want to see you in pain like this...” She continued to stare at him, wondering if he’d make the first move. She wanted to help him, truly; she knew that her energy would help him to not feel pain. He must have heard her thoughts as his gaze changed from nervous to piercing. All of a sudden she felt that familiar feeling of warmth run through her body once again. She felt her body slightly heat up as Damien wrapped an arm around her and pulled her body tightly to his. His gaze grew lustful before he spoke, bringing a hand up to cup the back of her neck. 

“Thank you...” Before she knew it, he’d pulled her into a gentle, but passionate kiss. Heat erupted through her body as his kiss slowly, and almost timidly, got deeper. He kept his arm around her waist while she rested her hands on his chest. The energy from her body was slowly draining in the kiss, making her feel light and warm. It was almost pitiful how comfortable and willing she was in this situation. Still, she had no regrets and was enjoying every bit of the kiss. Damien was a wild card. She didn’t really know what to expect from him, unlike with the others,  and his kiss was no exception. He wasn’t forceful, but his kiss was deep and passionate; it felt almost magical. It was how she’d imagined a first kiss to be like... except with energy drain. Soon, though, the energy drain stopped and Damien gently pulled his face away to end the kiss. She stared up at him as they both panted for air; she had never kissed like that before and was so lost in the moment that she had forgotten how to breathe. He moved a strand of hair from her face to behind her ear, eyes full of desire.

“I’m okay now... but, I...” She could feel the hold of the mind-altering spell fade away, but she still felt hot. Something told her that she wanted more, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure if she truly did want to give anymore; however, she’d opened the opportunity and was enjoying it as much as he was. She wanted more and was going to let him keep going. She  **wanted** to keep going. Maybe it was the look in his eyes or just the fact that she wanted to go further herself, she couldn’t be sure. She leaned up and kissed him again; Damien gasped against her lips, but continued to kiss back. She could feel him pull on the tail of her bow, releasing it and it followed his hand from around her neck; he moved the ribbon to his pocket before gently unbuttoning the top two buttons of her blouse. The desire in her body drove her insane, forcing a moan to escape her lips as he ran kisses from her lips down to her exposed neck. As he began to ravish her neck and shoulder in hot kisses, she leaned her head back, letting a pleasure filled sigh escape her lips. He was ruthless in his passionate kisses on her skin; he kept touching and kissing her, making more moans and gasps rush out of her. He may have been full, but he was as hot as she was and continued to love on her skin and her. She couldn’t begin to comprehend how much time they spent making out as she was so lost in the pleasure that she didn’t care. Call it sinful, but she didn’t care one bit; if there was a heaven, then surely she had found just the tiniest bit of it in this moment, in his arms. She loved it; his touch, his kiss, his heat. She desired it beyond anything else at that moment even as he lowered his kisses down her chest to just above her bra. Her heart beat wildly in her chest; something about James drew her to him like a moth to the flame. She didn’t know if it was his aura of superiority or his gentle smile, but something made her heart quicken for him. It couldn’t have been love... it was too early for that... but it was too passionate to be lust... So, what was it? The tingling sensations of the kisses against her skin was driving her desire further; however, she began to feel dizzy as well. Feeling like things were starting to spin wildly, she gripped Damien’s shoulders, trying to signal to him stop... that something was wrong, but her mind faded to black before she could even let out a sound.


	8. True Name

She felt good. She didn’t care that she’d blacked out; she felt warm and fuzzy in the darkness. She never knew that indulging in that kind of passion would be that good. She now just wanted to awaken, hopefully in a good way. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the sights around her. She felt the familiar silks beneath her, letting her know that she was back in her bed. She slowly sat up, stretching from the tiredness that still lingered. She felt a very soft pain in her neck and shoulders and could feel her swollen lips pulse gently. When she looked down, however, she saw that her shirt had been rebuttoned as if nothing had happened between her and Damien. She was just missing her ribbon. As she moved to get out of bed, though, she spotted her ribbon on the pillow beside the one she’d slept on. It was tied around a small pen in a nice bow with a small note attached to it. She gently slipped the note from the tie and opened it to read it:

 

Thank you. I indulged myself, but I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did...

~Damien

  


She stared at the note, letting a small smile grace her lips. He’d indulged himself as much as she had. She’d enjoyed it. It was cute though to imagine him thanking her for something they’d both done and enjoyed. She brought the note to her chest, letting the memories of their meeting flood into her mind.

“I indulged myself too, Damien...” She murmured, as if he could hear her reply. There was nothing to forgive, at least that was what she thought; she set the letter on her nightstand as she looked at the time. The numbers on her phone showed that it was 5:31 pm.

“Yikes... Four hours of being knocked out... and I _still_ feel tired...” She wondered if that was normal. It was Sunday, though, so she was allowed to sleep longer if she wanted to... she felt it was a good idea to and slipped beneath the covers again for a brief nap. The rest of the evening passed by, surprisingly uneventful. The boys continued to train with each other, but were kind enough to stop to make her dinner and she was glad for that. Unsurprisingly, the food they made was perfect, but it felt a little empty without the boys to eat with her. She’d concluded that, mostly likely, they had already eaten, but still she felt lonely. It was a little strange how easily she had gotten used to their presence here; like they had always been around rather than having just dropped in so suddenly only a few days ago. She knew she couldn’t let it bother her, that it did at all surprised her; she merely ate though and went back to her room to study and sleep, not bothering the boys. She felt good going to bed that night; feeling like she could have a peaceful sleep, which was welcome after the previous rough nights she’d had. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt good. She drifted to sleep only to wake up almost flawlessly the next morning. No grogginess, no aches; perfectly energized and bright-eyed.

“Man, how long has it been since I got that much good sleep?” She mused aloud. She looked at her alarm clock; she’d woken up ten minutes before her alarm. It must be her lucky day today. It was about time! Karma owed her some good luck! After all she’d gone through in merely a handful of days, she deserved it. Ecstatic for the day ahead, she turned off her alarms before they could ring and got dressed. Today was going to be a great day, she could feel that it was going to be. She checked the time, 6:30, she had more than enough time to eat breakfast before it would be time to head off to class. She packed her bag and carried it downstairs towards the kitchen. As she entered the dining room, however, she saw a plate with eggs, toast, and bacon sitting on the table. A fresh steaming cup of coffee also sat next to it with some sugar and creamer on the side. She walked to the table, unable to believe what she was seeing. Someone had made her breakfast.  

“Who made this...?” She muttered aloud in curiosity, but none of the boys were around to answer. They didn’t have to be though as a small, red note caught her attention. She sat down to read it:

 

Have a good day.

 

Yours

  


Her heart skipped a beat. She could tell it was from one of the boys. Was it maybe from... him? The thought of Damien made her heart begin to race a little inside her chest and a light blush covered her cheeks. She smiled and put the note into her bag before she ate up. The food was so delicious that she devoured every amazing bite faster than she had thought possible. She put the plate away and looked at the time once more; it was time to go now. She wouldn’t have time to leave a thank you note this time around. She made a mental note to do so when she got home to whoever had made her breakfast. She rushed to the doors, checking herself in a passing mirror. She wasn’t wanting to impress anyone, but she knew she still needed to look decent before she left the house; before she could reach the handle of the door, however, someone took her hand.

Huh?” She paused. She turned to see Damien was hold her hand back with a concerned frown on his face.

“My name...”

“Your name...?”

“My TRUE name isn’t Damien... I want you to know my real name if something were to happen.” His true name? What did he mean? Why was he telling her this now? Damien gently pulled her to him and leaned close to whisper into her ear.

“My name is Izroul.” As he said it, she could feel it lock into her memory; something in her mind would make sure that she would never forget it. She was almost certain that something was magic. He pulled away and smiled at her, despite still having worry in his eyes.

“If you are in any danger, call my name. I promise I’ll come and help you.” She stared at him, unable to say anything; she could only nod in response. He smiled before releasing her hand and heading into the dining room. Something inside her told her that name would be used eventually... She shook herself a little once he was out of sight. She still had to get to school, though she did her best to focus on her classes, she’d be lying if she didn’t say she daydreamed a bit during some of them... okay almost all. She’d made it there without a hitch and the day seemed to be a blur of the usual lessons as any school day was meant to be. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, at least nothing that was noteworthy; she went from class to class, had lunch, and was anxious to get home.


	9. Ambushed

As she was walking out of her last class she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. A text from her father?  It said that he’d be picking her up from school and that he wanted to talk to her. She wondered what it could possibly be about. It was kind of a surprise. She got all of her things together and waited outside the building for him. While she waited she watched other students pass her by, listening to some of her music on her phone as she waited. 

“I need to go to another Rise of the Phoenix concert soon...” She said to herself as she listened to the music. She ended up playing the entire album with no one showing up. That was a little odd. Her father was never late, especially not this late. She dialed her father’s number, but as soon as she pressed call it disconnected and the phone had a signal disconnection error message. She frowned a little. 

“Huh? How do I not have a signal?” She could see that her phone had all five bars for a signal, so what was going on? 

“He must be in a dead zo-” She began to mutter to herself, but her musing was interrupted as suddenly hands grabbed her limbs and covered her mouth. A familiar voice yelling.

“HEY! Don’t dirty up Malix’s prey.” She felt a shiver go down her spine as the voice whispered into her ear suddenly.

“You’re coming with me, Ms. Crosstar.” She couldn’t fathom what exactly was happening at that moment, but before she knew it she’d been blindfolded and tied up. She felt herself being carried somewhere and shoved into something that seemed to echo like the interior of a bus or a van. The doors closed and she was taken, unsure of where she was going and why. Though her mind was in a daze, she realized she was in real trouble... For a while, all she saw was darkness; she felt numb as she was taken somewhere she didn’t know. She couldn’t find the will to move her lips to even scream. Sounds zipped past her ears; first of the interior of the vehicle and then of outside, then an echoey place with whispers and cackles of others vibrating through it. At some point she’d caught the woman’s name... Eris. Eventually the wrap around her eyes was removed and her bonds were cut. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but she found herself in a warehouse, surrounded by devils, including Malix, who was smirking at her. She had a sinking feeling when she saw all of this, yes she could defend herself... but against ALL of them? She wasn’t feeling that brave. 

“Nicely done, hahaha! I’m sure those little shits will come running to find you when they realize you didn’t return to your precious little mansion. They’ll search everywhere for you!” She felt a spurt of anger, but she wasn’t stupid enough to just attack them. Malix walked over and set the barrel of his gun against her forehead, straight between her eyes. The moment the metal touched her skin she knew she couldn’t do this alone. She needed help.  

“It’ll be  _ so _ funny when they find your dead body instead.” Mika panicked and screamed out.

“IZROUL!!!” All of the sudden a bright purple light engulfed the room, forcing her to shield her eyes and the devils around her covered themselves.

“WHAT THE!?!?” Malix yelled in surprise. 

“NGHH!” The brightness of the light apparently affected Eris too. She felt gusts of wind race past her, almost forcing her back. She covered her face with her arms, bracing herself and standing her ground; she tried to peek through to see what was going on, but the light was too bright. As the gust slowly started to die down, the light began to fade, revealing Damien staring at Malix with a cold expression in his eyes alone.

“Damien....” 

“I’m here, as I promised.” Malix moved his arms from in front of his face and slowly took in the new sight in front of him; his face turned into one pure evil delight.

“Out of the five pretty boys, you summon the pathetic one?! What a fucking moron!” Mika glared at Malix for that. Damien stared at Malix, silent and fiercely cold before he began walking towards Malix one step at a time. Malix, however, brought up his gun, pointing it at Damien. 

“So long, pretty boy! Hahahahaha!” Malix pulled the trigger and let the bullet fly straight at Damien’s head; Mika gasped, bracing herself for the result of the shot; however, Damien kept walking. He didn't’ fly back, nor did he flinch from the shot. She couldn’t see the bullet wound, but she knew there had to be one in Damien’s face.  

“W-what the...!? Fucking DIE!!!” Malix began to quickly pepper shots into Damien’s face, some of them passing completely through his head. There was no blood. No fire. Nothing. It was as if Damien didn’t really exist as he walked towards the now frightened devil. 

“WHAT CRAP SPELL IS THIS?!” As Damien finally reached Malix, the devil jabbed his head towards the ground, making Damien’s body fall and slam into the concrete. As the body settled onto the ground, it slowly began to burn away in purple flames. Malix gritted his teeth.

“A distraction... WHERE ARE YOU DAMIEN?!” So that had been... a ... proxy? Was that the right word for it? Malix scanned the room like a hungry dog hunting for it's final meal; his body began to glow a fiery red color in anger from the situation. The remaining devils stared, trying to figure out what to do: help Malix or watch in silence. Eris, however, walked up beside Mika and crossed her arms as she watched with an amused smirk on her face. Mika found herself torn between watching and helping, but the way this was going... she wasn’t so sure he really needed her help though as he seemed to be toying with Malix. 

“COME OUT!!” At that moment... something in the air changed. The feel in the air in the room went from warm to almost ice cold. It wasn’t that the temperature of the air had changed, but something had... The frantic energy in the air seemed to suddenly still. What could have only been described in tone as the color red turned into a deadly mix of purple and blue; everything around began to blend together all at once. The color seeming to blur out the surroundings like some strange sort of painting. Damien finally replied; however, his voice seemed... different... it was like there was an echo effect to it.

“What’s wrong, Malix? Are you afraid of me now?” Mika felt scared suddenly; something about Damien didn’t fit right with how she knew him. He sounded... otherworldly and his voice was dripping with an almost sadistic tone as he spoke. It shook her.  

“Afraid of a pretty boy like you?! HAH!! You don’t even have the balls to face me head on!! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO’S AFRAID!!” Looking at Malix though, she could tell that he was trying to bluff or something; something about what Damien was doing was keeping Malix in place. 

“Oh, I’m not afraid of you. In fact, I know very well you’re afraid to move right now. You’re practically screaming it in your mind.” Mika felt a chill run through her own spine, a chill both of fear and delight... it was weird. She almost pitied Malix. He couldn’t run and he had no way to hide. Malix, in a fit of insane rage, began to shoot into the air, letting the bullets fly into the ceiling. 

“SHUT THE HELL UP!!!” Damien’s demonic laughter fill the room as a group of dark figures appeared around Malix, walking towards him slowly and menacingly. In defense, Malix fired shots at each entity around him, causing them to fall and fade away into purple flames. That didn’t stop more from taking their place, however, and closing in on him. Malix became frantic. Was this the extent of demon power? Suddenly a pair of hands quickly covered her eyes before she was able to see this new form. Instinctively she reached up and gripped them, trying to pull them off. A voice in her ear stopped her though.

“It’s me. Don’t look.” It was Sam. She stood still as his words lingered in her mind. ‘Don’t look.’ Why? What was being hidden from her? She wanted to know, but something in her told her to obey Sam’s command so she didn’t move. She trusted Damien, and his brothers... As curious as she was, she didn’t think she should disobey. She could hear everything, however; Malix’s screams of agony were followed by the sound of ripping flesh. The smell of blood was covered by the harsh odor of ash and fire. Maybe it was better that she wasn’t able to see; the sounds alone were nightmarish enough. 

“Damien! Enough!” Almost instantly after James’ command, the sounds stopped. The air grew silent and the only thing anyone could hear then was the sound of dripping blood. 

“At least let me dispose of what’s left of him.” What’s  _ left _ of him?! What the...

“I’ll take care of it. You’ve done enough, Damien. Come out.” James replied. After a brief silence, a pair of footsteps made their way to the spot where she and Sam were. Each step seemed to echo with a haunting otherworldly tone, almost as if a very low and dark piano played a singular note with each step the pair of feet took. 


	10. Choosing Their Fate

“I will admit, you really wailed on him. You practically scared everyone out of the warehouse. It’s a good thing you were hiding when you lost your glamor spell, huh?” It was weird, hearing Sam give what was praise to one of his brothers rather than giving them crap. Damien didn’t respond even as Mika’s fear faded, she was curious now. What did he mean by a glamor spell? Was that an effect of his power being unleashed? Why was all this being hidden from her?

“It’s a spell that makes  _ us _ look human.” Damien replied, answering her question on that, but none of the others that swirled in her mind just then. Look human? They didn’t have human forms after all? Then what did they look like?

“Like demons.”  _ Oh, that’s  _ real  _ specific. _ He didn’t comment on that thought if he was paying attention nor did he seem inclined to be specific. Neither affirming nor denying the various images that popped into her mind as she tried to imagine what each of them really looked like. As if Matthew knew what Damien was talking about, he spoke up and his words were followed by the sound of a cork popping out of a bottle. 

“Well, not for much longer. Here.” There was the small sound of clinking glass as something was passed to Damien, followed by the sounds of him guzzling down a liquid of some sort. The feel of the air around her gently began to warm back up, insinuating that everything had been returned to normal. Well... as normal as it got with five demons around anyway. A moment later Sam moved his hands from her eyes, allowing her to see her surroundings once more. The devils, including Eris, seemed to have fled. Malix was missing, but the blood stains left behind in his place told her that he was definitely dead, regardless of his location. As she focused on what was around her, however, she noticed that the boys had gathered around her; all of them, including Damien, looking like nothing had happened. 

“What just...” She wasn’t so sure she really wanted an answer to that. Everything about the whole event seemed to zip around her head and suddenly she felt like speaking wasn’t really possible. While her mind was beginning to comprehend things and calm down, her body was a different story. 

“Let’s just get you home, miss. There’s nothing more to see here.” James replied. She could only nod. What had happened boggled her mind to near a point of disbelief, but not quite. While she was second-guessing a few things, lost in the sea of ‘what’ and ‘how’ in her mind as it tried to fill in the blanks of what had been missing. It sent a shiver through her as she realized that maybe she understood just a little too well... She looked to Erik for some form of a sign that she wasn’t dreaming. That all of that had really just happened. Despite looking down at his feet, his face held a cold sadness, as if he regretted what he did.  It was over. Malix was gone and the boys were finally safe. A wave of relief ran through her body at the thought of never having to deal with that group again. It was followed though by a ping of realization that hit the back of her mind.The boys were only going to stay until after Malix was defeated. That was the deal. As they approached the mansion, she could feel something heavy begin to weigh down her heart. It was late, but the boys led her inside and turned on the lights in the lobby. Much to her surprise, it was Matthew who spoke up first.

“Finally! We can relax!” 

“It will be good to have some rest without devils breathing down our necks.” Erik agreed. 

“Ugh... I’m just tired. Can I hit the hay early?” That wasn’t so surprising anymore to hear from Sam.

“I think some sleep would be good for all of us.” James agreed and so did she. Damien, on the other hand, made a soft sound that drew her attention. She knew he could read her mind and frowned. She didn’t want him to know her thoughts on the situation at hand now, especially since bringing it up would only ruin the mood. 

“Yeah. Bed sounds good.” She spoke up, hoping Damien wouldn’t; she just wanted this night to end. Too much had happened and she felt a little dizzy just trying to figure it out; however, Damien spoke up, stopping them all from moving to their bedrooms. 

“Should we be gone in the morning?” Damn it, there it was... couldn’t he have waited until tomorrow? The air became still with tension; the realization of the situation hit the other boys like a wave, causing them to turn to her in curiosity. They had remembered their deal and now were awaiting her answer, their eyes on her made her feel like she was deciding their fate or something like that. She gulped, face-to-face with the situation she knew would come and yet a part of her had hoped it wouldn’t. The boys were leaving it up to her. They all looked like they were willing to accept whatever she demanded and that alone made her feel unnerved. Yes this was her home now... but... damnit... they weren’t intruders or anything! It was only fair, though, after all that had happened since they had come crashing into her life. Why did she have to decide now? She silently cursed Damien’s ability to read minds, she knew he likely had heard that but it didn’t seem to affect him. Well... he had once told her he was ‘used to it’ had he not? She wanted to sigh because she knew he’d heard and she felt a little bad about it. She looked to Damien, feeling her heart flutter in her chest as she met his shimmering eyes that could shame any stone...  She didn’t want him to leave, but would he ask to stay? She hoped that he would ask her to stay longer. As if he knew what she wanted, Damien moved and stepped up to her, as he knew what she wanted without her having to speak. He stared into her eyes, his own almost pleading, making her want to whimper in guilt, but then he spoke. 

“I know that we’ve only been here for a short while, but you’ve done so much for us just by giving us a place to stay... However, if I may be honest, I really would like us to stay here longer... Can we?”  Her heart skipped a beat even as a red blush ran across her cheeks.The other boys stared at Damien wide-eyed, but none of them dared to speak out. Damien stepped back again to give her space, returning to where he had been moments before. She moved her gaze across each of the boys, trying to find the words that she knew were right as she began to realize she had already made her decision. She had made it before Damien had stepped up to her.... before he’d even asked the question as to whether or not they were to leave. She knew that if they left in the morning, she would never see them again and her life could return to normal... If she did decide to let them go, that would have been for the best. No goodbyes, no delays. But... did she want to? They had done so much for her in a small amount of time... No, even if it wasn’t for all they’d done, there was a reason she wanted them to stay beyond that. At last, the words came to her. She wanted them to stay. She wanted  **him** to stay. She merely smiled, staring at the man she had come to have feelings for, before speaking and answering the question he had given her, knowing he knew the answer just as soon as she did. 

“I would love it if you all could stay.” The boys cheered tiredly, but nonetheless enthusiastically and she couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. It was both cute and heartwarming to see them so excited, despite the tiredness that ran equally through all of them. Today was a rough day.

“My home is your home, as long as you can still help with the chores!” They all nodded in unison, agreeing to the terms that she had originally set for them. Despite the happiness of the situation, she felt herself slowly slipping towards unconsciousness; she was utterly exhausted. James quickly clapped his hands together, getting everyone’s attention and waking her up, making sure that she didn’t just pass out on the floor.

“Alright everyone. We’re all very tired, so let’s head to bed, shall we?” 

“Oh! Yeah, sleep is actually a thing. Right.” She smiled a little at Matthew’s statement, too tired to do more than that. 

“We’ve had a very long day, but it will be good to just relax tonight and tomorrow.” Mika couldn’t agree with Erik more. 

“Sleep sounds really good right now...” Damien agreed.

“Yeah, man.” Of course Sam was tired, hadn’t he said so earlier? She watched the happy smile grow on Damien’s lips. He shared her excitement, knowing that they could be together longer. Who knew how long they would stay together? All she cared about just then was that she would get to be with him. She wanted to get to know him better, after all. The others quickly left to finally rest, leaving her and Damien alone at last. Her heart fluttered a bit as Damien walked closer to her; he was happy, and it was really cute to see him that way, so she didn’t do anything but smile back.

“Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome, Damien. I’m happy to have you stay here.” She watched his smile brighten a bit before he cleared his throat and looked at her with a serious face. She didn’t know if it was the tiredness or her growing attachment to him, but she felt herself sway a bit on her feet; however Damien’s face made it clear he wanted to say something else, making her forget that her bed was also calling for her.

“Listen... about what happened at the warehouse-” He began, but she understood too well about what happened, even if she didn’t have all the details. 

“No. It’s fine. You did what you had to do. I understand.” Perhaps she understood a little too well. She’d accepted everything that had happened and knew that he had to do what he had to do. He was real and he was someone she didn’t want to be without, even if that meant fighting against her curiosity about him. He nodded, holding out a hand to her.

“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”  She nodded and Damien gently took her into his arms like a bride and carried her to her room, just as he had carried her downstairs that first day.


	11. Diana

She didn’t want to leave his arms, it was exactly like before and she didn’t want it to end so soon; she lay her head against his chest, but eventually she was lowered onto her bed and covered up with the covers. She was still in her day clothes, but she was too tired to strip or care. She looked to Damien, fighting a yawn from escaping her as he gently ran a hand over her hair. 

“Goodnight... I’ll prepare breakfast for you in the morning.” She nodded with a tired smile before watching him slowly stand and leave the room, closing the door behind him. A wave of happiness washed over her as she lay there; she knew she’d made a good choice. Sure, it would be hard, but she could tell that she would be able to manage it. Help around the house and being with a man whom she was slowly starting to fall for would be worth it. She slowly felt exhaustion take over and she let sleep consume her; as she drifted into the darkness of her mind her final conscious thought almost made her smile.  _ So he was the one responsible after all for breakfast... _ Everything was peaceful... She was happy... Something woke her. A voice.

“Hahaha. You are an interesting creature...” She opened her eyes to see a woman staring down at her with a sly smirk on her face; red eyes and light brown hair. She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand quickly covered her mouth. 

“Ah ah ah! No screaming, now. Too early, silly girl.” She could only stare at the this woman; she still felt weak , not having the strength to move and fight her off from the lack of sleep. What was going on and why was she here?! Who was she?! 

“Hmmm... why do the boys like you? You’re unique, yes, but that can’t be all that you have going for you...” She frowned in response, it must have reflected in her eyes along with her anger as she felt rage begin to consume her core. This woman, whoever she was, was making her mad. The woman must have known as she let another smirk grow on her face.

“Ooo! You’re feisty. That could be why...” What was with this woman?! Before Mika could bite her hand, she removed it and stood up fully, staring down at her from where she stood next to the bed. Mika quickly sat up and glared daggers at the intruder. She was very beautiful, but she felt more anger than amazement; looks weren’t everything after all.

“Who the hell are you and why are you in my room?!” She began to laugh in response, making the rage inside her increase; she wanted to punch this woman, but instead she waited for an answer. 

“How silly of me. I forgot we demons are not well known of in your world. You can call me Diana, little human.” Little?! What the hell?! She had some nerve... and what was with that dress? She looked like she was dressed to go ballroom dancing, the gold triangular patterns along the black, sleeveless dress matched the necklace she wore which seemed to be made of a string gold triangles. There was also a modest slit in the left part of the skirt, allowing her to walk easily in the form fitting attire that stopped at her ankles, but revealed a little bit of leg beneath. This Diana might be beautiful... but she wasn’t winning any brownie points for it. Who was she and was she really a demon? 

“You’re a demon?” 

“I am, but I’m much more than just an average demon.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Silly girl, I’m a succubus.”  _ Shit. _ That was all she could think at first. A succubus? First incubi, not a succubus. Great. Now she had met  _ both _ genders of sex demons.  _ Well aren’t I just lucky? _ She thought sarcastically. Diana crossed her arms under her bosom and looked at Mika’s body, seeming to measure her.

“Well, you are pretty... But you seem very reckless... Too reckless...” Demon or not... who did she think she was to simply assess her like that?! She stood up, glaring at Diana. 

“Why are you here?” 

“Oh, I just wanted to see who my competition was.” Wait... what?

“Competition?” She smiled as she spoke, as if they were friends who were discussing a favorite book.

“For the boys, of course. They don’t belong here, and yet here they remain. I want to know why and remedy this little issue.” This woman was seriously pissing her off.

“Issue?! What issue?! They want to stay here, so they can.” 

“Silly uneducated human. You don’t understand the important roles these boys play in the Abyssal Plains. You keeping them here is practically imprisonment.” She growled. This woman was an idiot... imprisonment was something done  _ against _ someone’s will! The boys  _ wanted _ to stay! She wasn’t forcing them! 

“You have about ten seconds to leave.” She swore that if this woman didn’t leave on her own then she was going to scream loud enough to send all the boys running and they would all CHASE her ass out! 

“Is that a threat? How cute. What are you going to do? Kill me?” Rather than be annoyed, she seemed... amused? What the hell was wrong with her?! 

“And if I do?” She really wondered why this woman was laughing at such a threat. 

“You barely have the strength to stand, little human. I can rip the rest of your energy out and knock you into a coma. You’ll never be able to wake up again.” Mika clenched her fists. 

“Touch me and I’ll-” 

“Enjoy. Every. Minute of it.” She drew the words out. Mika, on the other hand, had been about to say that she’d scream. She felt her body freeze and heat up to an almost painful haze. Her mind began to feel fuzzy as Diana stepped up to her and caressed her cheek. She knew this feeling, but she wasn’t enjoying a moment of it. On the contrary, she glared at Diana for it.

“Now, you’re going to listen to everything I say without any questions, got it?” She nodded, reluctantly. 

“Good. I plan to bring the boys back to the Abyssal Plains. Why? So that I can take my place as queen of their realm. They have no reason to be here in this silly little world, so I’m going to make sure they return home. Okay, pumpkin?” Mika growled even as her body was forced to nod. Her rage couldn’t be concealed, despite the hold that she was under. 

“You... evil... bitch...” She managed, it hurt to fight the control to even say that much, but Mika had no care for this woman. 

“Hahaha! Call me evil all you want, deary. I’m not evil; you’re just in my way.”  _ And what if you’re in MINE?!  _  She wondered; Diana leaned towards her ear and whispered, making her shiver in both pleasure and annoyance. 

“Now, be a good little human and go to bed. I’ll make sure they’re gone before you get home tomorrow from school, so make sure to say goodbye in the morning.” She growled again even as her body moved on it's own to lay down and cover itself up with the bedsheets. She glared at Diana the entire time but the demoness only laughed at her futility. 

“I’ll... get... you...” 

“Oh, please do.” Her voice deepened suddenly, becoming cold and demonic; it sent a violent shiver down her spine as Diana’s red eyes practically illuminated in the darkness of the room as she glared down at her. Mika knew she should feel fear, but she didn’t.  

“Give me a reason to make your life a living hell.” She gritted her teeth, trying to fight back against the hold on her. Diana couldn’t have been that tough. She needed energy to survive, right? She was sure that she couldn’t have had enough to hold her down forever. Diana then laughed and returned to ‘normal.’ 

“Oh, and make sure you don’t tell the boys I was here. I want my visit to be a surprise.” With the hold on her disappearing, she sat up and practically growled in rage at Diana.

“What’s stopping me?!” She said before she could stop it. Once the words were out she realized how reckless they were. She shouldn’t have said anything. 

“Tsk tsk tsk, then you must not care about your friends and family as much as you care for the boys.” She expected that answer... it was a classic threat from any villain. It happened in stories and movies... why not real life? Diana smirked at her, as if knowing the reason for why her eyes had darkened slightly. 

“Let’s just say that, if you tell the boys about me, I’ll make sure that  _ no one _ will care for you and you’ll be all alone in this little house until the day you die.” Could she do that? Mika knew that a succubus had powers that were the same as any incubus... but could she have a different ability, like the boys, that would make something like that possible? She considered that it might be. It was one thing for her to be facing a devil with help from the boys and yet another to face down a demon on her own. Despite that, she wouldn’t be detoured. 

“Have a good night.” She said way too pleasantly to actually mean it. With that, she sank into the floor through a some magic, purple pentagram, which disappeared as soon as her head had vanished into the floor. It was different from what she remembered seeing when she had called out to Matthew for help... but that had been more of a summoning so maybe it was different than traveling normally? She shook her head, barely able to believe it. First she’d had one problem and now that it was dealt with she suddenly had another. Instead of a crazy psycho devil who wanted her and the boys dead, she had a succubus wanting to ruin her life and take the boys away... although she wasn’t sure that those two things weren’t synonymous. She had to wonder though, could her life get  _ any _ worse? She shook the thought away, she really didn’t want to jinx herself in case it really could get worse. Why tempt fate? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter and the following are probably predictable if you've read any of the others.


	12. Morning Showdown

No. She wasn’t simply going to let Diana win. 

“She’s not as powerful as she looks. I know it.” Mika mentally confirmed it; she wasn’t going to win and the boys wanted to stay with her. They’d agreed to her conditions, they weren’t her slaves by any means nor was she keeping them here against their will. She let out a sigh before closing her eyes, affirming her plan of action. No matter what she was going to do, she was going to beat that demoness. When morning came it seemed like the sun was screaming at her to get up. Surprisingly, she woke up before her alarm clock once again, which was kinda nice. She stretched and dressed, getting ready for another day of school.  _ She expects me to say ‘goodbye’ to the boys. I will say ‘good morning’ and will see them when I come back.  _

“No way am I going to say goodbye.” She all but growled to an empty room. Scooping up her bag, she headed downstairs to the dining room and saw the boys were already eating a delicious selection of food. The smell made her stomach growl as the sight of the food drew her to walk further into the room. James, Erik and Matthew smiled when they saw her.

“Good morning, miss. Did you sleep well?” James asked. She hesitated in answering. Damien furrowed his eyebrows and stopped eating; which let her know that her attempt to hide last night’s event had failed. 

“She’s here.” The way he said it made a chill go up her spine. Did Damien know her? The others looked at Damien in confusion while she silently cursed his ability. 

“Umm... Damien, what’s up with you? Of course she’s here. She kinda owns the house.” Damien looked from his brothers to her, wanting her to explain for him this time. The threats that Diana had given her last night warned her against it, however. She almost sighed aloud, knowing that the boys would find out from Damien if not from her. So it didn’t really matter if she said anything or not, but she shook her head at Damien. He sighed and looked to James. James tilted his head and furrowed his brows at Damien before looking back to her. 

“Does anyone else live in this house?” 

“No. Just us.” 

“Then who is Diana?” Damien asked, she almost wanted to sigh aloud, especially considering the look he was giving her. There was no doubt he was still able to read her mind and she couldn’t help but glare at him for pressing the issue, but he only sent a ‘tell the truth’ gaze right back. She sighed, she had no choice but to speak. 

“A girl named Diana came by last night...” 

“Diana? Is she important?” Erik seemed confused by her answer.

“Did she try to hurt you?” Leave it to Sam to think that, though he wasn’t exactly off the mark. 

“She’s a... succubus.” That single word seemed to make them all stop eating and stare. She looked at each of them, unsure of what was going through their minds. She had tried to avoid it... 

“So... she’s come to try and bring us back...” It was James who spoke, his voice rather quiet; none of the boys seemed pleased by this prospect. 

“She must really be desperate.” Matthew added and that made her wonder if perhaps they hadn’t met her before. 

“Well, what should we do now?” Erik looked over at James but it was Sam who answered.

“Nothing. She’ll give up eventually.”

“Will she?” James asked; the boys continued to look at her as if she knew the answer to that. Damn it, Damien. 

“She said that if I told you, she’d make my life a living hell... She can’t possibly do that, right? She’s not a devil.” 

“No, she isn’t... However, she is a very powerful demon.”  _ That’s not reassuring James. _

“She’s a master of mind-manipulation and has been trained in illusion. Unlike other demons who use strength to get power, she uses her charisma.”  _ Thanks Erik... so in a word... yeah, she could.  _ Mika almost sighed at the thought.

“She has the power to make armies bow to her and obey her every whim.  _ That’s _ why she’s so obsessed with us.”  _ That... doesn’t make any sense. _ She knew Damien heard it, even if he didn’t respond or even give any sign he had.

“What? What do you mean?” She hoped he’d explain further; she’d like to say that she was surprised when he didn’t answer but Matthew did... except that she was sort of used to this. For... whatever reason, it seemed to be a thing with them. Not that she minded really. 

“Well... she sort of has family ties to us... She was promised to marry one of us in exchange for more power.” Well that figured. 

“She’s just some whacked up hussy who doesn’t know how to close her legs. She’s not a real threat.” Well crap... Sam seemed to be showing more hostility against Diana than Mika had honestly expected him to. 

“Oh, really? I feel insulted.” The only one who wasn’t surprised, likely, was Damien. Since he could read minds after all. They looked around the room, wondering where the voice came from. Mika felt a cold sweat run down the back of her neck in fear, remembering what kind of power this demon had. After a moment of searching, they spotted her by the entrance of the kitchen, juggling a red apple in her hand as she leaned against the archway. The boys were quick to surround her, just as they had in the warehouse, glaring at the intruder.

“So, you took up a human name as well.” That only seemed to confirm her suspicions that the boys knew her from before now. 

“Beautiful name, isn’t it? Well, for a human name, anyway.” What was THAT supposed to mean? Was that a veiled insult? 

“What the hell do you want?” 

“To bring you back, of course! However, you weren’t supposed to know that I was coming. I completely forgot about that little mind-reading ability.” She chuckled, as if it were some joke.

“My mistake.” She pushed off from the archway and walked towards them, making the boys step closer to Mika in a protective circle. This caused Diana to laugh. 

“My, my, my. What have the worlds come to? A group of demons protecting a human girl? I’ll tell you right now, she’s not that pretty and, from what I can tell, she’s still a virgin.” So what? What difference did  _ that _ make? Although the way she said it made it seem like some sort of an insult that she had been saving her first time with someone she loved rather than just sleep with any guy. She didn’t say a word, it didn’t matter... apparently in the demon world it was something to be used frivolously but Diana obviously did not understand that, for humans, it was not something to just use as some bargaining chip. That it meant a lot more than that and she almost pitied Diana for her position, being a succubus had to suck if she was expected to be experienced by a certain age. Still, when Diana chuckled and smirked at her, Mika wanted to hit her, but she had control of herself. She wasn’t just going to go and do something stupid. 

“Such control you have, human. You know your place very well...” She growled, this wasn’t the Dark Ages! This demon was an idiot if she thought that... Diana seemed to ignore the sound much like one would ignore the growling of a dog.

“Well, will you all change your minds? I assure you, it’s for the greater good.” Greater good? What the hell sort of nonsense was  _ that _ ?! There was complete silence. None of the boys replied, which made her curious as to why. Diana leaned her head back a bit, surprised. 

“No? Well... I see...” Was silence their way of saying no to her? She looked around at each of them and saw the disobedience in their eyes, giving her the answer she sought. She felt her heart flutter, especially when her eyes landed on Damien. He kept close to her, glaring daggers into Diana. She could feel that he was completely adamant in his choice to stay, regardless of what his reason for coming to this world had been originally. She didn’t know what his reason was, or any of the others’ reason for that matter, but she was incredibly happy to know that Damien wanted to stay. Diana sighed and pressed a finger into one temple, rubbing it gently. 

“Either all of you are playing a very convincing hard-to-get game... or you all must be out of your minds...”  _ Or maybe you’re the insane one lady... _ Who in their right mind, after all, would ask anyone to run back to the place they had run from in the first place? Diana’s gaze shifted to her then, as if to read her mind. She could tell that Diana wanted her to do something, but the boys would stop her, so the stare was her only available action and she was not going to say or do anything to change the boys’ minds. Whether Diana liked it or not... it was their choice to stay or go. After a small moment of silence, Diana licked her lips before breaking the gaze-battle with her and smiling to the boys. 

“Very well. I guess I’ll take my leave now.”  She was going to just leave? The boys straightened up, seeming just as confused as Diana stepped back from them with a small bow, flaunting her cleavage. Not that any of the boys were really paying close attention to that rather than her as a whole. Without another word, a purple pentagram appeared beneath her, like the night before, and she slowly sank into the floor. As her head vanished into the floor, the pentagram vanished. The boys relaxed at that and slowly began to return to their spots at the table, each in deep thought. 

“She’ll be back... but she won’t kill us. She needs us alive.” 

“Whatever. We’ll just keep saying no! She can’t force us to come back.” Mika wasn’t so sure of that. After all, Malix had tried to use her against the boys, she didn’t think that Diana would be any different.

“She can’t do anything but annoy us. Eventually she’ll give up.” She wondered how Sam was so certain of this. 

“That’s the hope, anyway...” Right, hope. She hoped that Erik had a little more than just hope to go on. 

“Hopefully...” Damien walked over to her and stood before her, looking at her with concern.

“We’ll protect you. Don’t worry.”  She meet his gaze, she wanted to believe him. To trust that he could take care of things, just like he had with Malix.


	13. School Showdown

She nodded, having a feeling that he was telling the truth, or at least a hopeful and comforting thought, and smiled back. He gently took her hand in his and brought it up to kiss her knuckles, making her blush and forget what she was thinking about. The sound of collective chuckles and playful snickers whispered through the air, making her blush even more, but as Damien sighed and cleared his throat, the laughter stopped. She looked up to see that he was glaring at his brothers with his lips on her hand; that seemed to be enough to quell their laughter. They apparently knew when and when not to cross a line with Damien. They pulled away from each other; Mika quickly left the room after that, having no doubt that the brothers wouldn’t dare laugh further. She’d little doubt he could handle himself when it came to his brothers. She didn’t even think about the fact that she hadn’t actually eaten as she left for school; there wasn’t any time now before class and besides that she’d lost her appetite with the appearance of Diana. That woman was more than enough to ruin anyone’s appetite. At least today she only had one class to deal with. History. She was pretty sure that nothing would happen.... Never, ever say that nothing will happen before the day is over... History class wasn’t her favorite, it wasn’t exactly fun really, but she liked her teacher and most of the other students who were already there were around her age, though a couple of them were older. Before class was set to start, however, there was a note on the board stating that there would be a substitute for the day. Mika looked around but didn’t see anyone but the other students so far. It wasn’t until the door opened just a few minutes before class was set to start. She couldn’t help but stare and she swore that her heart stopped as she saw her.

“Hello class, you can call me Ms. Diana.” Mika nearly groaned. Diana smirked when their eyes met before she strutted over to the podium near the head of the class, ignoring (or welcoming) the whispers from the other students, before she sat on the edge of the desk and crossed her legs. So unprofessional, but seeing her made her stomach churn. What was Diana going to do? 

“So, History. History, history, history. Such a silly thing, isn’t it? I mean, what do we care about the past? We’re in the present!” The rest of the class hesitantly nodded in agreement, though whether that was because she was controlling them or because they were actually willing to hear her out she could not be sure. 

“The present is so full of wonderful things! While the labors of the past are the reason we have many things, it is our chance and privilege to utilize what has been given to us!” Her charm was infectious; the class was practically eating out of her hand already. As she looked around, Mika could see a few of her classmates smiling and agreeing; she simply pressed her lips together as she listened further. She had no choice. 

“What’s even funnier, about human beings, is that some of the bits of ‘history’ we hear is either made up or completely biased to one side! It’s like a story you read as a child!” She was one to talk... Mika had a feeling that demons were no different on that score. Why would they be when Diana had proven to her the other night that demons could be just as cruel and ruthless as any human, if not more so. 

“You hear of the princess and the prince and they live happily ever after, but what about the family she left behind? What of her friends?” As the class seemed to listen and agree intently on her words, Mika could tell, however, that those words were targeted at her. Diana hadn’t really come to teach a bunch of humans, she was targeting her and Mika knew it. 

“The original story of The Little Mermaid! A perfect example of a biased opinion. Here we have a girl who thinks she can be with this prince, but this prince has to marry a princess! What would happen if the mermaid had her way? What makes the mermaid so important that the princess has to suffer the consequences?” Mika didn’t answer despite that Diana looked at her as if she expected her to speak up. Consequences? What sort of crockery was this? And about a fairy tale no less! Despite that Diana was the ‘teacher’ she had no trouble simply ignoring her. There was no telling what she would do if she talked back. Diana smirked, Mika glared at her; she knew she didn’t need to fight to win. 

“It’s still something to think about, however, as we think of this story. It’s so easy to believe that the mermaid was the heroine, but what of the poor princess? Why should the princess suffer the antics of the mermaid? The princess didn’t do anything wrong to her.” More nonsense, a not-so-subtle subliminal message to make her pity her. She wasn’t going to pity Diana though. How long was she going to drag this out? She wasn’t a real teacher, she had no idea how to really run a class full of students... at least not human students. Diana continued to rave about the injustice the princess had to suffer through while the mermaid was in the prince’s sight. To Diana, it was injustice; to her, it was fairytale. A story meant for entertainment and a lesson about love and loss. The boys  _ choose _ her.  **He** chose her. Diana wasn’t going to convince them otherwise and she certainly wasn’t going to let her nor buy any of this. Diana stretched her arms up, making an obvious sexual noise that made some of the boys in the class shift in their seats. Mika merely rolled her eyes. Did that woman think about ANYTHING other than sex?

“Well, then that’s enough about fairytales. After all, the little mermaid was fated to lose her prince in the original story, anyway. It was for the better, though! The kingdoms, I’m sure, flourished, and the prince and princess lived happily ever after.” Mika’d had enough of this idiocy.

“How can you be so sure?” She stared challengingly at Diana. The other students turned to look at her in shock and confusion; Diana looked over and smiled kindly, but that only made her mad.

“Because I have a hunch.” A hunch? What the hell sort of answer was THAT? Recalling that the boys had left for a reason, even if they hadn’t told her, she boldly continued.

“What if the prince was incredibly unhappy? Could the princess live with herself knowing that the man she married was unhappy?” 

“In that case, the prince and princess’ sense of duty would overrule emotion. Their kingdoms would flourish nevertheless, making their people love them and live happy lives.” Another excuse, it wasn’t an answer to her questions. 

“So the prince is supposed to suffer a marriage he  _ doesn’t _ want for the sake of his kingdom?” 

“It happens all the time in reality. Arranged marriages happen to bring families together and bring wealth out of poverty.” 

“We don’t live in the Dark Ages. Even if we did, that doesn’t make it right, saying that the emotions of the two who are forced into marriage doesn’t count for anything.” The other students applauded, knowing that what she was saying was right. Diana pressed her lips into a thin line out of irritation, signalling her victory over the demoness. Diana stopped talking and looked at the clock on the wall, reading it quickly. Class had barely begun, why was she looking at the time already? She shifted to lean against the blackboard and smiled at the group; that made Mika worry. 

“You know what? School isn’t important. Everyone, go ahead and head home. Take the week off.” The other students looked at one another in confusion, after all, college was hardly cheap and a sudden dismissal like that seemed bizarre. Before anyone could really puzzle it out, however, a messenger came in; announcing something that no one would ever believe to be real.

“Due to an emergency faculty meeting, the school will be closed for the remainder of the day and the rest of the week. All classes are being dismissed until then. Please leave quickly and have a good rest of the week.” That said, the messenger disappeared. She’d used her powers on them. Damn it. It was blatantly obvious to her, but she couldn’t just blurt that out to her fellow students; she felt the need to stop Diana, but how could she stop a demon in the middle of a public area without seeming insane? It wasn’t like she had powers like Diana did. Diana smiled before gesturing to the door. 

“Have a nice week off! School will resume next week!” Most of the students were out the door in a matter of minutes, each of them off in their own world now so it wasn’t a surprise or difficult for Diana to stop her, of all the students, before she could leave. 

“Excuse me, little miss. I’d like you to stay a little while. There’s something we need to discuss.” Mika glared at Diana while the last of the students left the two of them alone, just like Diana wanted. Standing up, she slammed her hands on the desk in front of her as she glared at Diana. 

“What are you doing and what are you thinking?!” 

“What? Do I not make a good teacher? I figured you should have a little lesson so I took matters into my own hands.” 

“Whatever you’re trying to do here won’t work.” 

“You really think so, dear? And what makes you so sure about that?” Why was she so sure? That was a good question. She brushed aside the doubts that were trying to creep into her mind; to cloud it with uncertainties that she’d had just that morning. There was risk involved, in letting the boys stay; if they were ever found out... there’d be hell to pay for sure. Reason and logic overruled that though; how many people actually believed in such things as magic in this day and age? Unless demons and devils suddenly began popping up like daisies and using magic all over the place... the chance of discovery was pretty slim. The chance of someone even believing whoever made that discovery was even slimmer. What about Diana though? Would she force her parents to forget about her completely? Would she ruin her friends’ lives out of spite? As sour as that pill was to swallow, her confidence didn’t fade; no matter what Diana said of herself, what she was trying to do was wrong. That she would ruin lives just to get what she wanted only made it that much worse.... If she was as “grown up” as she seemed to present herself to be, then why was it she couldn’t seem to wrap her brain around the idea that just because you wanted something to happen didn’t mean that it would... especially when that something involved someone else. 


	14. Confusing Events

What was going on with her? Why was the confidence she had seeming to struggle? After a moment she began to understand... this was Diana’s other power. The ability to dissolve the confidence in someone else. Just like Matthew could make toys and Damien could read minds. She looked up to meet Diana’s eyes only to find her gaze boring into her and that was all she needed to prove that she was right. Diana was trying to influence her; using her powers on her, but this time Mika was away from home. She couldn’t escape and there was no way the boys would know she needed their support... or could she? Did she want to? The way Diana was staring at her was starting to make her feel warm and fuzzy inside; she felt like she was melting. Diana lifted a hand under her child and ran a thumb over her lips, licking her own. Mika could feel little shots of energy zipping from under her skin into her chin where the demoness held her. 

“Now, let’s have a little taste of that sweet, virginal sexual energy...” Her mind snapped to attention despite the influence. This was wrong. Even if she could jerk back because her body was under Diana’s spell as she leaned in, ready to kiss her and take her energy. Half of her body felt elation while the other half completely rejected it in disgust and didn’t even want her to touch her. 

“D-Damien...” The weak plea tumbled from her lips. It was enough to stop Diana in her tracks though. 

“Damien? Who is...” She trailed off as it dawned on her.

“Ahhh.... one of the boys... Why don’t you tell me which boy is ‘Damien’?” Against her will, she nodded.

“T-the youngest...” 

“Really? The bastard son with you?” Her gaze narrowed a little wonder what she was getting at, what did it matter? Even so, she nodded once again, but this time it was partly her own decision to reply. Diana let out a sound that mimicked a cat’s purr before taking another step back. 

“Alright then. Well, if it’s the youngest son you’re infatuated with....” Why did she get the feeling that there was supposed to be more to that statement? What wasn’t she saying? Diana chuckled before she kissed Mika’s nose, where she felt a shot of energy zap out of her body and almost make her dizzy in recoil. Diana then turned and sat back down on the desk once more. 

“You can go, now. Remember, no class for the rest of the week.” 

“And how am I supposed to get home? I take a scheduled bus, which won't be around again this early in the day!” 

“Is that so? Hehehehe, my apologies. Let me help, then.” Help?! Diana lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. Mika suddenly felt the floor sink from underneath her, forcing her to look down; a purple pentagram surrounded her feet, pulling her into the ground. It was exactly like what she remembered seeing Diana use to make her exit before. 

“W-w-whoa!!!” She had no idea what exactly was going to happen, but before she could fight it she sank fully into the floor; fading into the darkness she shut her eyes. It was only when she felt the silk sheets of her bed around her to soothe her anxiety from the darkness that had previously surrounded her did she actually open her eyes. 

“Wha... what the...?” Why had Diana sent her home? Was this some sort of an illusion? Was she being tricked? She was certain that something was going on. Sitting up in the bed, she looked around; she was indeed in her room with her things on the floor nearby, there was no mistake about that. Why? 

“Diana... is too strange...” She muttered. Was this a game? A part of her plan to get the boys back? Mika was more lost and confused than ever, despite her logical thoughts trying to piece the puzzle together. The more she tried to solve the puzzle that was Diana, the less she understood about her or this whole situation really. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by the door suddenly opening and revealing the boys with Damien’s hand on the doorknob.  _ Guess he heard my thoughts. _

“Miss, what are you doing here?” James and the others seemed confused and concerned. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” Erik asked next, but she furrowed her eyebrows, staring at Damien; asking him to answer their questions through her thoughts as he would be able to pick it out easily enough... hopefully. Her thoughts were a bit scattered. 

“Diana sent her back here. She invaded her school and sent all the students back home.” Damien seemed a little angry at that, Mika didn’t blame him. 

“What is that bitch up to? Seriously! Diana’s playing around for no reason.” She no more had an answer for Sam on that score than any of the other boys seemed to. 

“Maybe it’s part of her plan...”  Matthew seemed uncertain. The boys continued to argue back and forth about Diana, fueling an almost jealous curiosity in her; after all, she didn’t have any siblings to speak of. Damien seemed to be too deep within talking to the others to notice her thoughts, or acknowledge them, as he didn’t even stop talking alongside his brothers as they were all seeming to try and talk over one another. Why was Diana after them? Why did she want to bring them back? What was so important about them that she would travel to the human world to get them? What was going on? She decided enough was enough, if she was going to be dragged into this then she needed answers. 

“HEY!” The boys stopped arguing, staring at her in surprise; after all, she didn’t exactly make it a habit to yell to be heard by them... and had been mostly soft spoken, more or less. Her hands were in fists in her lap as she mustered the courage she needed to continue to speak despite her abrupt shout. 

“Why is Diana here? Why does she want to take you back? What exactly did you all run from? Why did you run from it?” 

“Miss, we-” No, she wasn’t going to be detoured by anything James might think to say!

“Don’t ‘miss’ me! Please! I need to know what is going on. I won’t be left in the dark about this. I want to know what I am facing.” The five of them looked at each other hesitantly, unsure of what to say; after a moment, Sam pushed Damien towards the bed. Caught off guard, he buckled and landed on his knees with his torso over the edge of the mattress. 

“Damien. Do the thing.” 

“The thing? What thing?”

“Sam, you’re not suggesting-” Erik began.

“Why not? She deserves to know everything. Especially if Diana is targeting her.”

“Sam’s right.” Matthew agreed.

“Guess we have no choice, then.” James seemed the most reluctant about this for some reason; she was getting confused. What was Damien about to do? Damien stood before climbing onto the bed with her, sitting across from her on his knees. 

“We’re going to show you everything. You have to trust me, okay? The minute you stop trusting me, the vision will stop.” A vision? Could he do that?

“Vision?”

“Just trust me.” She could do that, didn’t he realize she already trust him.... Trusted all of them? Him more so, as he had come to her rescue after all... She looked at him, unsure of what was going on for the moment, but she nodded. If this was the only way to learn, then this was her chance to know... to know everything about the five boys who had come crashing into her life. Damien gently placed his hands on each side of her head, gently pressing his thumbs into the skin above her eyebrows. She could only stare at Damien in return as his eyes began to glow gold and energy began to both be pulled out of her and forced into her head. Within seconds, her vision went black; she was unsure of what Damien was doing, but soon shapes and textures slowly began to appear around her.


	15. Caste Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read any of the others than this chapter and the next aren't to you.

Mika found herself sitting on a stone floor in the middle of what looked like a fancy throne room; it was like something out of the medieval era, walls and floors decorated in varying patterns and a red carpet that led all the way to what appeared to be a cushioned throne, that was also red. The wall behind it decorated with colorful etchings that seemed to be meant to make the throne seem bigger than it was as well as seem like it was the center of the artistry behind it.

“Where am I...?” She wondered aloud a moment before she remembered that once Sam and Erik had said something about a castle one morning. Huge pillars seemed to line the walls. To say that the place was massive would be an understatement. No wonder Sam was used to yelling just to be heard in another room... Castles, like this one, weren’t really built with acoustics in mind... so one had to be loud just to be heard from more than a few feet away; how annoying that must have been. She looked down at herself as she moved to stand only to find herself translucent, like a ghost. 

“Whoa!!” A jolt of shock and amazement ran through her. She stood up and inspected her hands. She was see-through! That was sort of cool... but why? What was going on here? 

“How dare they try to negotiate with me?! Do they not know whom they speak to?!” The sound of the unknown speaker made her head snap up. She ran behind a pillar; the sound of the voice’s anger and his words, for surely it sounded male, frightened her. She felt a lot like a frightened child. 

“My lord, please calm yourself...” A second voice spoke up. 

“CALM?! They are merely testing my resolve! I have more than half of a mind to send my greatest armies to take what should be mine! They are mere insects in the way of my kingdom’s expansion!” 

“They merely asked for a marriage joining.” 

“So I am to bow to them and share my land, that I have so rightfully conquered?!” Feeling that she wouldn’t be seen, as the boys had said this would be a vision, she peeked from behind the pillar to see a large, gray demon draped with a red, royal cape with what looked to be feathered lining, but who was buff enough to be a military commander. His rage practically emanated from his body as he growled at the other demon, a servant from the looks of it. She’d done enough studying of medieval times to pick out such details. 

“They are willing to give their land to you, sire! All they ask is for one of your sons to marry their daughter, whom I might add is as beautiful as can be!” It was obvious the servant was trying to placate the other. 

“This is ridiculous! To suggest that I need their approval to take their land is beyond insanity. What makes them think that I care about their  _ precious daughter _ ?” The last words were said mockingly. 

“Did I mention that she is a ... prodigy of our kind, sire?” This seem to get his attention.

“A ‘prodigy’?” 

“Yes, my lord! This succubus is a master of her skills in magic and mind manipulation. She is said to sway armies with a snap of her fingers, despite being as young as she is.”  

“Impossible!” 

“If it only were, sire! This succubus is dangerous, but would be a great asset to have should we agree to this arrangement. The only reason she cannot phase you, my lord, is because you are the strongest demon in the plains!” 

“Is this supposed to change my mind?” 

“Yes, my lord.” 

“You are doing a terrible job at convincing me...” 

“My apologies, sire...” She felt lost, were they talking about Diana? Why?

“Father?” She did a double take as she saw a young demon approach, he looked a little like James in that he had the same eyes and hair, but he had golden horns sticking out of his head and a gold pattern that swirled over his skin that looked a lot like some sort of paint though she was sure it wasn’t paint. Like the Demon Lord, his skin was a black color from the waist down, but the rest of him was a more pale, human color. 

“Father... ?” Who was this demon child? 

“Ah. Raestrao. Have you finished your training?” The eldest son? Then this was... James?!

“Yes, father.” 

“Then what do you want.” 

“I want to be with my brothers the rest of the day, father.” The demon commander walked to the younger demon and gripped his hair, picking him up off the ground and forcing him to look up at his snarl. The younger demon, however, looked unfazed... it was as if he’d seen it all before... 

“Huh... arrogance. Why should I allow you to be with them? I should kill you for your lack of respect to me.” 

“Because I want to be with them, father.” Mika stared in something of disbelief at how calm the young demon was, despite the massive difference between them. The young demon seemed weaker and easy to kill in comparison. Why would this man kill his son, though? Was this demon that ruthless? However, she wasn’t expecting him to laugh and release the young demon; yet he did.

“Ahahahahaha!! Good! Assertive even in the face of danger. That is why you are my favorite son.” That clenched it, she was sure now that this was a younger James. Like before, with Matthew’s true name... the name Raestrao stuck fast in her memory, but she was sure she’d probably never use it. Why would she need to when she had Matthew? She could only stare as the commander put his hand on the demon’s shoulder.

“Very well. Go. Tomorrow, you will show me your training.” The younger demon grinned widely before running off. 

“I have a thought.” The Demon Lord said after the younger was out of sight.

“Yes, my lord?” 

“How old is this daughter?” 

“As old as your... fifth, sire.” 

“Do you believe this proposal is worth it?” 

“Yes, sire...” 

“Tell those insects that they are safe for now. I will consider their offer.” 

“Sire?! Are you certain?!”

“Did I stutter? Now go!” The demon servant quickly ran off, but as soon as he passed the pillar that MIka was hiding behind, he and the commander vanished into thin air. 

“W-what the? ... is it...?” She didn’t have time to figure it out before a demon, who looked around her age, walked into the room reading a book. It was the same demon from before... she was sure... just by watching how he moved that this was James. It seemed like him anyway. He was the eldest of the boys and they had said that they’d show her everything... it only made sense... He was certainly a demon in appearance, but he was still more human than she had imagined he might be. 

“Raestrao, your nose is stuck in those books. Will you not lift your head up from them once in a while?” The voice of the other demon sounded familiar, but she was unsure who it belonged to as she circled around the pillar to see the other demon, he was leaning against another pillar and smirking at Raestrao. His markings were maroon, as were his horns which curved a little like a ram’s rather than forward, like Raestrao’s. He had violet eyes... only one person she knew had eyes like that... Erik. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be with your mother practicing the harpsichord?” Exasperation colored his tone and she wondered why that was.

“I am, but I had a feeling that you were in danger.” Danger? What did he mean?

“In danger? What are you-” 

“ATTACK!!” A younger voice yelled, all of the sudden three shadows zipped through the room and slammed into Raestrao, forcing him to fall to the ground and drop his book. As the sight cleared up for her, there were three other demons in a dog pile with Raestrao at the bottom.

“Get! OFF!” 

“No way! You haven’t had a break in months from those stupid books! It’s time for PUNISHMENT!!”

“Death by brotherhood!!” The sight was comical, in a way. 

“No more reading!!”

“I told you that you were in danger.” Erik smirked, Mika giggled; she suddenly knew who each of the demons were before her. Even in the demon world, their brotherly connection was astounding. These were merely younger versions of themselves, but she had guessed already that the one on the bottom had to have been James. One of the younger demons, whom she assumed was Matthew by his brilliant blue eyes and silver hair, grabbed the book from the floor and opened it, reading it mockingly. 

“How can you read this, Raestrao? It’s all about war strategy! It’s boring!” 

“I have to, Zecaeru- GET! OFF!!” That only verified her suspicions. The demon in blue with silver eyes was Matthew.... 

“There’s only one thing you need to know about strategy: kill ‘em all!! Take no prisoners!” That sounded like Sam...

“You sound just like father, hahaha!” Mika giggled along with Erik; it was cute to see them acting childish with each other. Eventually, James managed to push his brothers off him and stand, brushing himself off. 

“You all are reckless.” 

“At least we have fun!” 


	16. The Choice They Made

“It’s true. You haven’t been with us in weeks. Don’t you think it’s time for a break?” Erik spoke up. 

“I’m sure father won’t mind!” That was just like Matthew to think so.

“But... I have to-” James began. 

“I know you want to, Raestrao.” She couldn’t help but laugh a little, it was so cute seeing Damien like this! He almost NEVER said anything! It was both shocking and cute really, watching the younger versions of the brothers... exactly how old were they anyway? She brushed off the question, it didn’t really matter.

“Damn it... I-” 

“What is going on here?” Mika almost sighed. Of  _ course _ they would be interrupted... and by their beast of a father no less. He was aged a little, staring at the boys with his arms across his chest. Damien quickly dashed and hid behind Sam, peeking over his shoulder to see the Demon Lord. 

“Nothing is going on. We just passed by each other.” 

“Then why does your brother have your book?” 

“I was showing him what I was learning, father.” 

“Return to your studies, Raestrao. The rest of you, out of my sight. Do not disturb your brother again.” She stared as James gently took his book and, without looking at his brothers, returned to reading. The Demon Lord walked passed the remaining brothers, growling at Sam and Damien, before leaving the room.  _ What was up with that? _

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll find a way to get him back.” Erik reassured the others. 

“I don’t know... he’s on a very tight leash...” Matthew seemed uncertain. Sam looked at Damien who had made a quiet sound.

“Izroul, you’re quiet. What did you hear?” Izroul... so that was Damien’s true name. 

“He’s going to a negotiation meeting... He’s going to arrange a marriage.” 

“A marriage?! For who?” 

“It must be for one of us... “ Matthew trailed off.

“He hasn’t decided who will marry her...  It’s a girl from a kingdom he wants to take over...” 

“But... that’s uncharacteristic of him... Usually he’d just attack with the army.” Erik frowned in puzzlement.

“Whatever the case is, one of us is getting married.”

“I hope it isn’t me...”  _ I can’t blame you for that... I’m hoping that as well, but wouldn’t it make more sense to be ... ? _

“What about Raestrao? He is the eldest...” Damien spoke up, as if hearing her thoughts. 

“It would make sense... but having a succubus marrying one of us means that she’ll be practically married to all of us...” Mika wasn’t sure about where Erik had come up with  _ that _ of all things... but at the same time he had a point... seeing as they were so close despite everything.  

“Well, what should we do?” Before the conversation could continue, the group vanished into thin air; fading into different colored mists and letting her know that the vision was changing again. They were replaced by an older Damien and Matthew, sitting with each other in the middle of the throne room. Now that they weren’t huddled together, she was able to get a closer look at them. 

Matthew’s horns were a darker shade of blue than his eyes and seemed smaller than those of his brothers, being only a few feet in length likely. His markings were like ocean waves across his upper arms, torso while a single band seemed to encircle his neck. The rest of his arms were covered in solid blue that was almost black, like he was wearing gloves or something. Damien, on the other hand, had black markings and his horns curved much like a ram’s horns. His markings that covered his torso, arms, legs and neck, made her think of spider legs in their shape. It was a little odd, but not scary to see the brothers this way; after all, they were demons... this was the form, she realized, that they all had hoped she wouldn’t see in the fight against Malix. Had he thought that she would be scared of him if she saw him as he was here? The thought of his expression, during that fight, flashed in her mind. Well... maybe she might have been, but not because he was a demon... mostly, maybe, an instinctual fear for the power that he had displayed and how easily he had used it to kill. Her thoughts were interrupted when Matthew spoke up.

“Do you think we should?” 

“I really want to.” 

“I want to as well... Still, it’ll be hard to convince Raestrao, since he’s the one about to be married and he’s the favorite...” 

“We don’t know that, Zecaeru. Maybe she’s set to marry YOU.” 

“No way! I don’t wanna get married!” 

“I don’t think you’ll have a problem with that baby-face of yours.” Mika turned to see Sam joining the duo, he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at his brothers. She studied him a moment, he looked like his brothers... except that his wavy markings, similar to Matthew’s in pattern, were green like his horns, which jutted out gently in a wave up from his head. Unike Matthew, though the markings  near his neck looked like three vicious hooks together. Matthew looked rather unhappy with Sam, which wasn’t unusual.

“What are you two talking about?” 

“We got into contact with the human world again.” Damien replied, closing his eyes as he seemed to do often. This version of him seemed a lot more like the one who was showing her all of this. 

“Come on, Izroul... you give humans too much attention.” 

“No way! You gotta listen! They apparently have stories and books and schools and stuff!” Mika didn’t think Matthew was going to convince Sam to join them that way. 

“So what? It’s full of humans who piss on each other for no reason. They’re no better than the devil-spawn.” Mika frowned at that. Sure, some humans were bad... but not all. 

“Nuh-uh! The one we were talking to wasn’t like that!” 

“How do you know, Zecaeru?!”  

“Because I do!!” Mika wonder if they were talking about her grandfather. 

“What is going on here?” Mika finally got a very good look at James too, aside from having large horns that curved forward and were larger than even his father’s horns, they were a deep bronze while his markings were a dark gold that seemed to flow across his arms and torso like gentle figures. Mika remembered Matthew had said that they each had different mothers and so that was why they looked so different from one another though they did share some traits.

“They want to go to the human world.” Sam said, like it was the most boring thing ever.

“The human world?” 

“Raestrao, think about it! You won’t have to marry that girl and be the heir anymore! You could be with us and we can make lives for ourselves in the new world!” Even though she knew how this likely ended, because she knew each of the boys, she wondered if Matthew would convince James. Was this the right point in time? It was hard to know. 

“Now you’re just talking nonsense!” Sam protested.

“I vote that we do it.” Erik chimed in. Now that her attention could focus on him, she got a better look at Erik’s markings. They were like gentle flower stems in the way that they curved over him and ended in rounded points though his markings looked like they were almost a brown rather than the bright maroon that his horns were, which curved, she saw, less like that of a ram than Damien’s were, but still similar curve.

“Huh? Oh not you, too!” Sam seemed to groan.

“Think about it. This might be our chance to finally get away from this political nonsense we’re stuck in. We may be nobles, but we’re still our own beings.” She nodded, that they were. James didn’t say a word.

“Raestrao is in.” 

“Wha- Izroul!” Mika giggled a little, she wondered what Sam and Erik’s real names were, they were the only two she hadn’t heard, but she shrugged it off. She really didn’t need to know. 

“Woo!! So, how do we get there?” 

“Are you kidding me? You don’t even know how we’d get there?!” 

“A simple spell  _ should _ work, but it would require someone from the human world to help us get there.” Erik replied. 

“We can ask him!” Matthew seemed excited, it was cute.

“Ah! He’d definitely help us!” She was sure that Damien meant her grandfather; things seemed to click in her mind now. 

“I’m... I’m not so sure about-” 

“Raestrao. Aren’t you tired of pleasing father all of the time?” Erik cut in.

“I am, but-” 

“If you stay, you’ll be married off and become ruler of father’s kingdom. You’ll have no time for yourself or with us and you’ll be constantly at war with the other realms for power. You’ll most likely turn into the spitting image of father.” The idea didn’t seem to appeal to James and she suddenly began to understand what it was he was running from... what they  _ all _ were. 

“What he’s saying is get your head out of your ass and let’s go! If you don’t say yes, I’ll drag your princely ass with us. I don’t care what that bastard of a father wants.” 

“Come on, Raestrao...” Matthew seemed to plead. 

“Alright. Let’s do this. What’s the plan?” He asked and the others smiled, she finally had the whole history right in front of her and understood the brothers now more than ever. They had sacrificed everything to be together. They’d rather be free than remain in their noble roles. Mika started to feel a little jealous; they were able to leave while she was still expected to be what her father wanted her to be. How they were able to leave was uncertain in details, but she knew she would learn in time.


	17. How It Began

Mika closed her eyes and mentally asked Damien to end the vision. As soon as she asked, the world around her slowly vanished and she was brought back to the bedroom where she sat with her head nestled in Damien’s hands. Her vision began to clear, letting her fully see the boys around her, all of them wore concern on their faces; were they expecting her to be scared of them or something? 

“So, you now know exactly who we are...” James, of course, was the first to speak up. 

“Diana is the girl you were arranged to marry?” 

“Not anymore. Once we left, the arrangement was broken. With no sons to marry off, our dad couldn’t go through with the marriage deal.” 

“If Diana is here for us, that means she’s trying to save her kingdom from being attacked.” Mika almost agreed with Erik until Damien spoke.

“That’s not true. She wants to rule our kingdom. Having one of us will give her the right to our kingdom as much as we’d have right over hers.”

“So she’s a gold-digger!” Well... Matthew wasn’t wrong in that assumption, it seemed. 

“Well, with a kingdom like ours, what succubus wouldn’t want to marry us for it?” She nodded in thought, it did seem like such a great thing, but in truth she knew it wasn’t... at least not for the boys. She thought over Diana’s analogy in class. It wasn’t just her trying to sway her over to her side, it seemed, but was almost a full-blown comparison to her own problems. Knowing what she did now... Diana certainly wasn’t evil... but that didn’t make what she was trying to do right either... Whether her motives were really what Damien had said or what Erik had suggested, it didn’t really matter, the question now was what they should do about it. It seemed, in her mind, that Diana had come to bring them back because she knew that, despite her powers, she wouldn’t be able to fight their father, so she had to find another way. The entire concept of it gave her a headache and she wasn’t sure if she hated Diana for it or pitied her at this point. Suddenly she felt her head grow heavy and she felt dizzy. She gripped her head, mewling under her breath. 

“W-what the...” 

“I took too much! I’m so sorry!” 

“It’s okay.” 

“Rest now. There’s no need to do anything more today.” Mika nodded a little in agreement with Jamie’s words even as the other boys rushed over and helped her lay back down as now her vision was painted in white polkadots. She needed sleep, badly. Instantly she closed her eyes and let the darkness of sleep consume her. After what seemed like hours, she finally woke up, slightly refreshed. Her body knew that if she slept any longer she’d be up all night, which was not part of the plan for the day. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, letting a soft groan escape her lips. In response, something beside her bed shuffled, causing her to look over. She didn’t know what she was expecting. Beside her, sitting in a chair beside the bed, was Damien,  rousing himself up to see her awake. She smiled at him, seeing his slightly ruffled hair and tired eyes, aware that he must have been watching over her.

“Oh, you’re awake...” He yawned.

“How do you feel?” 

“Better.” He nodded before he looked down at the bed, taking her hands into his. 

“I’m sorry... This is all my fault.” She almost sighed at that.

“Damien, it’s not your fault-”

“No. It is. I was the one who wanted to come to the human world. I convinced the others to come with. If I never did that, we’d never have put you in danger like this...” She quickly reached over and put her fingers on his lips, stopping him from going any further. She didn’t want to hear him blame himself and his brothers anymore. 

“Damien... it’s okay. I wanted to help you out. I offered to let you all stay. Nothing is your fault.” She gently moved her hand and cupped his cheek, staring at him with concern. She didn’t want him to hold guilt in his mind about this whole ordeal. Diana was desperate, she’d hunt anyone down for them. It wasn’t his fault she was desperate enough to hunt them down. One thing bothered her, though: why did his dad scorn him? Why did  _ Damien _ want to run away? The others seemed a little obvious, but Damien was a mystery. Before she could be verbally curious, however, Damien gently held her head in his hands. 

“Damien?” He frowned and simply held her. 

“I’ll show you everything.” He let out a small laugh, a hint of depression lingering in the breath he let out before he focused his energy into her mind. Her vision blurred and she was suddenly back in the demon castle. She expected to see Damien wandering around the halls or with his brothers; instead she found him alone, sitting on the foot of the throne, tearfully curled into a ball. The room smelt of blood, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from Damien; seeing him like that broke her heart a little. 

“Damien...” She instinctively called out to him, even knowing that she couldn’t hear him. He looked lonely. Where were his brothers when he obviously needed them? To her surprise, she heard a familiar voice.

“Why are you crying?” Damien picked up his head.

“G-grandfather?” 

“Who are you? What do you want?” He sounded frantic.

“I just want to know if you’re okay.” 

“Who ARE you?” 

“Don’t be afraid. I’m just a friend.” 

“A ... friend?” Mika could only stare in shock. How did... when did...? Her grandfather had known the boys...? Everything started going in fast forward. She saw Damien talking to the voice of her grandfather, seeing his sad face go from happy, to surprised, to fascinated and cycle randomly from there. There were even moments when Matthew joined him, letting Damien speak for the voice in the air. It was all unbelievable. Here, her grandfather spoke of the human world, painting it to be a beautiful world full of opportunity. How did her grandfather know about all of this? What was going on...? Her mind slightly spun at the idea that her grandfather delved into magic and demons... Eventually, the world around her slowed down and she saw the boys standing before an empty throne. They looked determined, stout, and ready for something to happen. Damien stepped forward and held his hand out to the throne. 

“O Tenebris portas aperiat nobis largiatur exitum desiderium...” She could hear her grandfather start to chant a phrase unfamiliar to her, letting it rupture into the air around the boys. Gusts of wind started to brush through the room, like a storm rushing in. She watched as a small tear opened in the air in front of the throne. It glowed an unholy purple color, peeking into a very familiar pink cafe. 

“N-no way... that’s...” Sam quickly rushed over and drove his hands through the tear, pulling it open and making it larger, revealing the Pink Lady Cafe with her grandfather on the other side. Her grandfather held out his hand, ushering the boys to come. 

“Hurry up, boys! I can’t hold it open for long!” Mika was utterly speechless at what she was witnessing. Instantly, the boys ran through the tear, climbing through and almost crashing into the tables and chairs of the cafe. She felt herself move through as well, joining them as her grandfather closed the portal. The boys looked around the space, almost mystified at the sight. Her grandfather laughed, out of breath, before sitting down at one of the nearby tables. 

“There, now. Welcome to the human world, boys. Let’s see... K! Make us some coffee, please! These boys need a drink!” She turned to see K, the owner of the cafe... and the only other person in the room besides the boys, smile and quickly get to work on making coffee. Mika was dumbfounded. She knew about them too?! She felt herself getting dizzy at the thought, but she shook her head and tried to focus on what was going on. Her grandfather looked at the boys up and down before chuckling again; he seemed pleased with himself and - now that she knew the boys herself - she didn’t blame him. The boys, however, must have still been speechless. 

“You’ll need a spell to cover yourselves up. Humans don’t exactly have horns or parade around naked.” Mika had to scratch her head at that one, they hadn’t  _ seemed _ naked to her... shirtless yes, but it wasn’t like any -ahem- part was showing... still she knew her grandfather had a point. The boys looked at each other before nodding in unison and focusing their energies; before her eyes they went from demons to human-looking demons. They looked at each other, ecstatic about their new looks. Her grandfather, however, cleared his throat and brought their attention back to him. 

“Now don’t be rude to K, now. Sit and enjoy some coffee. It’s the best in town.” The boys obeyed, obviously in his debt; she looked to Damien’s face, he was almost in tears with joy. She could tell he was beyond happy to be in the human world. She almost felt like crying for him, but she couldn’t understand why; maybe it was his facial expressions or maybe it was because she knew she would meet him soon after this fact. Although the question of how soon flitted through her mind; she really had no idea how long ago that was exactly... Her grandfather had always looked the same to her in her mind... yet hadn’t James said they’d just gotten into town when she first met them? Was it really THAT soon? 


	18. Diana's Move

Eventually, Damien stopped the magic, lowering his hands and letting her come back to reality. She held onto Damien, who kept a hold of her to make sure she didn’t faint. Everything felt so wrong and yet... it all made sense at the same time. Her grandfather had known magic. Her grandfather had helped the boys. He’d cast a spell on the mansion and on her to protect her. 

“I was the one who convinced everyone to come to the human world. I was also the one who asked that man... your grandfather... to bring us.” 

“So he... he helped you come through. What happened after?” 

“He gave us a wallet full of fake IDs and maps of the world. He told us to go anywhere we wanted and that he would pay for everything so we wouldn’t have to use our magic. It was like he made us human...” He laughed nostalgically; she could tell he was happy remembering how her grandfather had helped. She still couldn’t wrap her head around it, but the answers she wanted were six feet under and unreachable now. 

“You really wanted to be human...” He looked at her, eyes glimmering with both hope and shame. 

“More than anything... I  _ still _ want to be human... I don’t mean just in looks. Everything.” He looked to his hands, lowering them to the bed between them.

“Humans don’t read minds. Humans don’t hurt people like demons do. I didn’t ask to be a demon... I want to learn things, go places, and not have to be bound by magic or anything.” She stared, it was pitiful to see him like this; he looked almost like a child, begging her for something he really wanted. She wanted to help him, somehow. She just didn’t know how, it wasn’t like she could just snap her fingers and make him human. 

“It’s alright.” 

“Damien?” 

“You’ve already done so much for me and my brothers... Sheltering us, letting us continue to live here...” He frowned, though, gently caressing her cheek with his hand. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt because of us...” He lowered his head in shame. She couldn’t help but feel her heart squeeze in her chest at the sight. He truly cared... Damien let out a small sigh before looking at her with a new smile. He hid his sadness well, but she could still tell he was upset about the whole ordeal. 

“Alright. You should sleep.” He smiled and gently pressed her back down onto the bed, resolved in what had happened. She couldn’t let him leave without doing something to offer him some measure of comfort. She quickly pulled Damien down to her, lifted her head and gently kissed him, softly laying a hand on his cheek to keep his face close. He stared in surprise before hesitantly kissing her back, caressing her cheek and slightly melting at the touch of their lips. A soft sigh escaped before he slowly pulled away with a smile. He gently licked his lips, making her blush red at the simple gesture. He let out a satisfied hum before nuzzling her forehead.

“Go to sleep...”  And with that, he stood up and left the room, leaving her to rest as per his request. She smiled to herself before relaxing into the mattress.

“How pathetically sweet...” Mika suddenly tensed up, feeling majorly uneasy;  _ she _ was here. She quickly looked around the room, sitting up straight before seeing Diana leaning against the window with a smirk towards her.

“What do you want?”

“Oh, I just wanted to see how close Damien was to you. Obviously, he’s  _ very _ close.” She stood from the bed, glaring daggers at Diana; she wanted the succubus gone.

“And what’s that to you? He doesn’t want to leave with you, so leave him alone.” 

“Oh, I will. I don’t care enough for the bastard son to try and take  him away. I just... want you to know exactly what you have.” 

“What are you talking about?” Diana chuckled, the sound made her feel slightly sick to her stomach. Diana knew something.

“Did Damien tell you about what he lived through?” 

“He showed me when he left. He met with-” 

“No, no, not that. Before that. Did he show you anything before that?” 

“Well, he was scorned by the Demon Lord.” 

“He didn’t show you everything, did he?” 

“Why would he need to? He showed me what he needed to.” 

“I don’t need to show her anything else.” Damien said from the door, she turned to see him, glaring at Diana with a rather scary glare. She felt dark shivers run down her spine as she stared at him.  

“Ahh! Damien. Right on cue. I was just about to show her why you hate your life and why you have a human fetish.” Mika frowned, he was obsessed, maybe... but a fetish? 

“You will not show her anything.” 

“Oh, I won’t? Funny. I don’t believe you get to tell me what to do, bastard son.” Mika glared at Diana for that one; before either of them could leap at her throat, Diana snapped her fingers, making the room spin. Mika grabbed onto Damien, who held her close at the room slowly changed from her own to the demon castle. She looked around, feeling unable to move from Damien’s embrace from the dizziness. She looked to Diana, who was leaning on a pillar on the far side of the room with a smirk. Mika gathered her focus on a pair of demons, one of them was the demon servant, who had been with the Demon Lord, carrying sheets and books across the room. 

“Damn that woman, ordering us around. I bet she thinks she’s all high and mighty just because she bore that bastard son. Well, she’s no queen. She’s a simple harem girl. She’ll never be queen. The Demon Lord reminds her of that every bloody night. You’d think she’d let it sink in.” The snort that erupted from the servant disgusted her to no end. How vile was this creature?! 

“And about that boy. What do the other noble sons think about him?! They treat him like an equal! Hahahaha! He’s no noble son and he will never be. He’s a bastard child that doesn’t know his place. Just like his bitch mother.” Mika glared at the servant.  

“Shhh! You know he can read minds from a mile away!” 

“Then let him read mine! I don’t care! That boy is a monstrosity never meant to be born!”  _ Speak for yourself you ugly piece of shit... _ She almost growled at the servant; the other cleared his throat, however, at the sight of Damien, who was standing nearby with an almost dead-cold look on his face. 

“Ah. You.” 

“Yes. Me. I don’t need to be a mile away to hear your thoughts.” 

“Boy, wha-” 

“What I’m doing out of my room is no longer your concern. I may be a bastard, but I am the Demon Lord’s son regardless. I won’t take insults from you anymore.”

“Then what are you going to do, bastard son?” Damien started to step forward; she didn’t know why but the room suddenly felt cold and dark as he started to approach the servant and she began to get the idea of what he intended.

“I’m finally gonna shut you up.” 

“If you threaten me, you threaten him!” He said, as if he were some how special; Mika couldn’t help but hope that servant got what he deserved then and there. Just like Malix had. Damien’s glare could practically kill; she was afraid to watch, but she continued, hoping to not see blood in this fight. Damine continued to walk towards the servant, towering over him like a shadow.

“I’ve taken your insults for long enough. Now  _ I _ get peace.” 

“Stay away!” The servant seemed terrified now. 

“I’ve had enough of you-” Damien stopped, turning his head to look up at the archway in surprise. 

“Mother?” The demon servant slowly turned, also matching Damien’s surprise when he saw her. A figure, completely covered in a red sheet, stepped out into the hall, slowly walking to Damien. The sound of chains dragging across the stone floor echoed in the room; Mika felt something in her gut tighten, unsure of what was going on but positive that something wasn’t right. The familiar smell of blood entered her nose; this time fresher and much more potent, making her feel slightly sick. Her gaze trailed down to the stone floor, eyes going wide at the sight as she saw blood brushed over by the sheet as the woman walked; painting the stone a dark red and almost black color in the woman’s wake. She looked back to the woman, now worried that she was bleeding underneath the sheet. 

“Leave us.” She sounded almost enchanting, despite only saying two words; Mika almost let slip from her mind that this was merely a vision. The servant glared before walking off, mumbling incoherently under his breath. The other demon giggled at the servant’s inability to fight back. Damien’s mother was obviously powerful enough to silence anyone. One fact stuck out. His mother was a harem girl? She imagined the chains that must cover her feet, making Mika frown. It was terrible to imagine. 

“What are you doing out? He’ll hurt you if you aren’t in-” 

“Shhh...” He stopped talking, staring at the woman walking towards him in a calm demeanor. A hand slipped out from the curtain and gently caressed Damien’s cheek, making him almost melt into the hand. He looked at her in hopelessness. 

“Why do you want me to turn around?” 

“Just listen to my thoughts... like you always do...” He slowly nodded and turned around. 

“As you wish-” 

“Shhh... focus on my thoughts...” She could tell that he was holding his breath; he must have cared very deeply for his mother. It was incredibly sweet. Silence lingered in the room; it was almost awkward to watch; the hand that held Damien gently petted over his hair and the breath that he was holding slowly was let loose as he seemed to relax. Maybe she was calming him down. He was pretty angry, but why make him turn around? All she was doing was petting his head and talking to him in her mind. It all seemed surreal... Something was wrong.


	19. Deal?

Trusting her instincts, Mika looked around the room, trying to see what was going on behind the scene. Was someone going to stop them? Was someone going to interrupt? Her eyes landed on a dark shadow of a woman walking towards the couple with a knife in her hand. She had shackles with chains on her neck, hands and feet, but they remained silent as the woman neared the couple. 

“I’m sorry...” All of a sudden, the woman brought out her other hand and took hold of Damien’s horns, pushing him to his knees.

“DAHH!” 

“Damien! No!” She cried out instinctively. The shadow quickly started to run at the couple, raising the knife higher above her head. Mika wanted to move... to run and protect Damien. She could only remain still though, watching the scene unfurl before her. 

“GrrrRRR! No!” He kicked back, causing his mother to buckle and fall back, releasing his horns. He turned and grabbed hold of the shadow’s arms, tightening his grip on them. The shadow started to scream and bite at Damien desperately. He glared and threw it at the nearest pillar, making it disappear and drop the knife it was holding. Mika looked over to the woman and instantly regretted that she had; the sheet that was wrapped around her hadn’t been long enough to cover her as she fell, the edge landing over her stomach, just covering up her upper body. The lower half was covered with multiple scars and blood; her ankles both shackled to different lines of broken-off chains. Her legs were together, but Mika could tell the number of scars and the amount of blood only increased the farther up her legs one went. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. As she stared, the vision Damien looked to his mother in shock and heartbreak while the real one around her just gripped her tighter. 

“W-why...?” The betrayal was in his tone; in an instant the woman raised her hand to the fallen knife, tensing her hand and fingers to bare her nails. The knife flew off the ground and into the woman’s hand, she gripped the handle tightly. 

“Enough... I can’t... I don’t want to live like this anymore... I won’t let him have me again... I won’t let you invade my mind again...” She quickly got to her knees and raised the knife over her head. Mika felt her mind screaming, even as she gasped; she knew what was going to happen even before it did... what she was seeing... 

“I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I CAN’T!”  

“NO! STOP!!!” 

“ENOUGH!!!!!!” Mika’s voice died in her throat as she watched this woman... Damien’s mother... slam the blade into her own body, curling over herself at the stab. After a choked sob and breath, the woman fell to the ground, curled into a ball as blood pooled from under her and the already blood-red sheet. 

“NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The world around her shattered at his voice, stabbing through her heart, her soul, her stomach... Like glass, the world fell apart and she was left in darkness. The real Damien gripped her, burying his face into her shoulder as she gripped his arms. There were no words to be had... witnessing such a tragedy... unable to do anything to stop it and Damien... he’d lived it. Lived that nightmarish moment. She didn’t question if it had happened, feeling Damien in her arms was more than enough to tell her that it had; that he had suffered... Why would Diana reopen this kind of wound for Damien? The world finally reformed back to her room with Diana by the window. 

“The Demon Lord, despite his... sadistic pleasures, loved Damien’s mother beyond anything else, even his own wives. When she killed herself, the Demon Lord blamed Damien and his ability to read minds.” Mika felt anger flare at this injustice. 

“The only ones who convinced him to not kill Damien were his brothers, so the Demon Lord granted Damien his life, but he would be doomed to become a lowly slave as soon as the eldest became lord.” She looked to Damien, his face held both murderous hatred and pure sadness as he glared at Diana. The woman he glared at, however, simply chuckled. 

“So, one day, he was visited by ‘an angel’ who told him about humans and painted him a pretty picture about them. Now he’s obsessed with it.”  Mika found she couldn’t fault him for it, especially not after what she had just witnessed. 

“Why are you telling me this? Why are you doing all of this?!” 

“To butter you both up, of course. I’m about to give him the chance to have his wish granted.” They stared at her in pure disbelief. Was... was she serious? She was a nutjob, no way she had that sort of power... right? She laughed. 

“I needed to see how well you could handle his past. You can’t have ‘true love’ without seeing all sides of your love, now can you?” How was it she thought she was an expert in such a thing after all the nonsense she’d spouted to Mika’s classmates? Diana looked fully at Damien, crossing her arms. Something about this struck a chord of fear in her, but she simply watched in silence. 

“I offer you this, bastard son. I have the ability to turn you  _ completely _ human. No magic, no mind reading.” 

“You’re lying.” 

“Am I? Read my mind. See for yourself.” He stared at her only to go wide eyed suddenly.

“You’re not... but...” 

“Thaaat’s right! Your humanity for your brothers.” She glared at Diana, she knew there was a catch... She wanted him to hand his brothers over to her? That was underhanded and cruel! 

“Think about it Damien. You can finally be human. You won’t hurt anyone anymore. You won’t put  _ her _ in danger.” Mika nearly growled about being suddenly brought into this to be used against Damien. He looked at her and she instinctively looked back; he had a look of fear in his eyes, which scared her. Was he going to say yes? Was he going to say no? She didn’t have siblings to love, she didn’t know what to do in this situation.

“All I ask is that you completely willingly let me take your brothers back home. No big deal if it means you get to be a human with the girl of your dreams, right?” That sounded so wrong...

“No.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“I said NO. I will not give my brothers over to you.” She could see Diana’s anger flare up like a snake ready to strike. 

“You do realize what you’re denying yourself, right? You’re giving up your ONE chance to become human.” 

“I’d rather remain a demon than let my brothers be your slaves. Now, leave.” Diana gripped her hands into fists by her sides and glared daggers at Damien; however, she didn’t move to strike, instead she raised one of her hands and rubbed her temple in pure anger. 

“Then I’m curious, Damien: what  **_would_ ** you trade for your humanity? You wouldn’t go so far as to have sex with me for it, would you?” Damien remained silent. She turned to look back at Damien, expecting him to answer, but he didn’t. Her mind went into a miniature frenzy... was he...? Was he willing to have sex with Diana for it? Diana let a large, surprised smile appear on her face at Damien’s silence.

“Or  **would** you...? Interesting.. And if I were to offer that?” Again, silence; he offered her no answers. He wouldn’t... he couldn’t... not with her... no way... Even as her mind defended him against the offer she felt that he was the master of his own fate. It was up to him to say yes or no. It wasn’t her place to decide that kind of change or what the price for it would be. A part of her felt betrayed, but the other part almost wanted him to go through with it... For Damien’s humanity... He remained silent though. Why was he not making a choice? Diana turned her gaze to Mika before smirking. 

“Ahhh... I see. Well, I guess you’ve proven useless to me. You’re not going to say yes with your little ‘princess’ around.” Her mind simply went blank then. A purple pentagram appeared beneath Diana, letting her slowly sink into it. 

“However, in case you  **do** change your mind, call me. I’ll be around.” With that, Diana left them alone in the room. She finally let out the breath she’d unconsciously been holding, relaxing from the ordeal. Damien stepped her and held her gently, surprising her. 

“Are you alright?”  He asked gently. She nodded in response, unable to speak so immediately after being surprised like that. He let out a sigh, relaxing in the embrace; she turned and gently placed her hands around him, returning the embrace slightly. She could hear his heartbeat as he held her close in his arms and she felt safe beyond words.

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah... I am.” She looked up at him, happy that he was okay; Damien blushed, moving a strand of hair from her face to look down at her; however, he suddenly pulled away, looking down at his feet. 

“I should... I should go. You still need rest.” Before she could speak he turned on his heel and rushed out of the room; she stood there, staring at the door in a daze. Did.. did that really just happen? Oh hell no... There was NO way she was letting him get away from her after all of this. She quickly followed him from the room; spotting him turn the corner to go downstairs into the lobby. She followed quickly, unsure of where he was going, but determined to follow him to his destination. To her surprise, he turned a corner and pushed open a wall, sliding into it and closing it behind him. She followed, repeated the action, earning entry. 

“When did this..?” She muttered to herself. How did Damien know of this place? She walked down a small flight of stairs and continued through the dark, secret hallway, unsure of what was at the end. What was her grandfather hiding in here? Was it a magic room? A secret study? She didn't’ know.


	20. Love

Steam gently brushed against her skin, making her shiver slightly. A boiler room? She was wrong. She was led to a door that opened to the outside; from the direction she was going and how far she went, she was a little past the backyard. When she opened the door, the sight made her gasp as she was greeted by a hot spring, private and isolated from the world. Was it magic? Was it just placed here conveniently? She wasn’t sure; however, her eyes traveled to Damien who was staring at her, unsurprised that she had followed.

“Your grandfather told me of this place.” 

“When?” 

“When we first came here. Before we had dinner. Remember?” Her mind went back to the day they’d met, remembering when Damien was looking at empty space and speaking to it. She’d known there was something going on, but she hadn’t known what. 

“You were... talking to my-” 

“He died, yes, but his spirit remained here while Malix chased us. Once Malix was no longer a threat, he left this place, knowing that we would take care of you.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her grandfather had been watching over her? 

“He didn’t want you to be alone when you moved in. When we were attacked, he guided us to the house. We didn’t know it was to protect you until after you went to bed that night.” There was so much information she felt nauseous; she felt herself fall back before Damien rushed over and held her.

“Whoa! Careful!” She gripped onto Damien, feeling his warmth surround her; everything was happening so fast. She didn’t know how to contain it all; yet, for some reason, she felt safe and secure in Damien’s embrace. Was she crazy? Probably, at this rate, but she didn’t care to think about it. Her mind went from spastic and crazed to calm and at peace in his arms. He wasn’t using his powers on her though... She looked to Damien seeing, at last, a deep love in his eyes; he cared for her and wanted to protect her beyond anything else in the world. He would have left long ago if that wasn’t the case. Hearing her thoughts, Damien smiled at her and nodded, affirming them. She felt her heart flutter, making her forget the chaos she’d just gone through.   

“You... You really love me?” 

“Yes. I do love you. More than anything.” Damien gently caressed her cheek, leaning his forehead against her own; his admission was astounding to hear... to think that this wonderful man loved her... truly love her... 

“I wanted to tell you everything sooner, but I couldn’t find the words... Now everything’s come at you at once and I... I really...” Even though he didn’t finish, she understood... her heart swelled in her chest as she brought up a hand to silence him again. 

“I understand, just... tell me things earlier next time.” He let out a small laugh and nodded. She knew he’d try to make it up to her one day... but... one question suddenly was there in her own mind. Obviously Damien was curious about the answer too.  

“Do you love me?” She stared, unsure of how to answer; did she? He could read minds, yes, but she was sure he couldn’t read the conflicting feelings of her own heart. She was silent as she tried to puzzle all of this out. She felt a storm raging in her chest as she tried to dig up the answer. With her mind still frazzled from the vision, she let her heart guide her answer; knowing it was the right one. 

“I love you.” The words slipped out. She loved him and wanted to give him exactly what he wanted. They hadn’t known each other long, but her heart knew what it wanted and what it wanted was Damien. She gently leaned in, letting her lips finally touch his gingerly. He let out an almost surprised gasp against her lips before wrapping both of his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. She moved her arms up around his neck, feeling the kiss between them deepen to a heated height. Her chest was pounding, making her both feel and see fireworks in her mind. James was everything that she desired. He was the man that she wanted, demon or not; noble or not, it didn’t matter to her. It never had. Since the first moment he had appeared before her, carrying her down from her room while she’d still been recovering from the first energy drain as if she was a precious treasure... to coming to her rescue when Malix had kidnapped her, like some knight answering the call of his lady... to facing up to Diana with her despite the vision she had forced on them both, holding onto her as if he would lose her to the vision if he let go...  It was like some fairytale. It was her fairytale. It was all so supernatural; it fall in love with someone so quickly. Maybe it was because of the sense of magic she’d been thrown into, maybe it was Cupid playing with her heart... or maybe something more. It didn’t matter, she found herself melting at the thought of him being with her. She soon found herself combing her fingers through his hair, making the man who held her softly tremble at her touch. He gently nibbled on her lower lip, asking her to deepen the kiss between them even further. She easily teased him a moment by nipping back before she opened her mouth a bit for him. His tongue gently danced with hers as one of his hands slid up her back and cradled her head. He gently leaned her back, making her cling to him for balance as the heat of their kiss rose higher and higher. Gently, though, Damien slowed the kiss down and pulled away, staring down at her. His eyes burned for her, wanting her to melt and buckle in his arms. She could feel herself begin to melt already just by meeting his eyes. His gaze alone made her feel weak in the knees. He opened his mouth to speak, but as a very small blush ran along his cheeks, he was reduced suddenly to shy silence. She stared at he tried to find the words to say, meeting her gaze as if the words were written in her eyes for him to read. She knew what he wanted; she could feel it in the way he was holding her, the way he looked at her. He didn’t need energy, though, right? She hadn’t forgotten what had happened last time when he had needed energy. She’d blacked out and while she had enjoyed the heated kisses they’d shared in the study then, it was a mite embarrassing to realize she’d passed out even after it had happened. Apparently that was the result of having her energy taken so thoroughly like that, but because he had... he’d been able to deal with Malix like the gnat he was. At least she was certain that her energy that she’d given him had contributed to that. It was only a theory of hers, rather than something she knew for certain and honestly... she couldn’t care less. Even then, she realized, she had begun to love this man for who he was... even without knowing his past, without knowing his real appearance... she had fallen head over heels for this demon.   

“Are you...?” She asked, uncertain.

“No... I just...” So she was right, he didn’t need the energy. She stared, feeling the blush on her cheeks grow. He didn’t say anything more, but he didn’t need to really, she knew what words would have followed if he’d continued. He wanted her. Plain and simple. She was stunned, honestly. Was she really that appealing to him? Did his passion really run that deep for her? He gently nuzzled her forehead, losing his blush and finally being able to speak. 

“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to... I’ll understand...” Her heart thudded in her chest, he was so understanding and kind... it was impossible to not care for or love this man who was this way despite everything he’d gone through. Mika felt her mind go numb and purr at the idea. A moment with an incubus.  **Her** incubus... He was a demon of sex, the purest form of lust and desire. Her world would rock and she knew she would enjoy every second of it. At the same time, she was indeed... inexperienced. Diana wasn’t wrong when she had claimed Mika to be innocent of such things. Did she want to give that innocence to him? Especially this early in their relationship? As she thought it over, she suddenly found herself forgetting the words ‘yes’ and ‘no.” What could she say to him to truly express what she felt then? She knew, suddenly what she wanted to say, but how to say it without breaking the moment..


	21. Seduce Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who haven't played the game, this chapter is named after the choice to have sex with the chosen incubi (in this case, Erik); you can skip over this chapter if you want to. It's not really relevant to the story line itself (though it does have some relevance in the game) and all you need to know about the end of the chapter is at the bottom (if you want to scroll down).

“Seduce me.” She couldn’t believe the two words that had suddenly slipped out of her mouth. It made the most sense to her then to tell him yes. She needed him. She wanted him. Those two words must have made something in him finally break. Damien gently wrapped his arms around her and went back to kissing her passionately; he ran his fingers down his jacket and shirt, releasing the buttons and revealing his bare chest to her. She couldn’t help but move one of her hands down his chest, running her fingers over the crevices of his muscles. A pleasured purr escaped his throat, making her shiver slightly. He let both his shirt and jacket slide down his arms to the ground before cradling her head in his hands and kissing her deeply. She felt heat rise in her body, making her undo the tie underneath her collar and release the buttons on her own shirt. She quickly removed it and the vest, making him pause in kissing her and stare in slight surprise. She was still in her bra, but she could feel a blush invade her cheeks. Her shy side began to creep up into her mind. Did she really want this? To undress before a demon? No, this wasn’t just a demon, he was the man she loved, yet she felt her innocence drape over her in almost shame. He smiled and lifted her face to kiss her again; he knew she was nervous and wanted to draw her attention away from it. Before she knew it, they were both stripped of clothing, surrounded by a cloud of steam from the hot spring. The heat between their bodies simply added to the warmth. He started to guide her, though, into the hot water of the spring; she looked at him, slightly confused. 

“Here?” 

“Why not?” Why not indeed her mind agreed. She followed him into the water and cuddled close as they stood in the water. It didn’t take long to get back into the mood they were in, intensified by the heat of the spring’s water around them. He pulled her close, knowing she was still shy, and began to kiss her lips over and over. Each kiss was his promise to keep her safe, to keep her comfortable, to love her. She kept her arms wrapped around him, taking each kiss he gave and giving her own kisses in return. She didn’t know if it was the fact that they were both naked or maybe she just craved his touch, but she didn’t want to let him go. The steam ran over their bodies, cleansing their skin as they held onto each other like it was the end of the world. The fragrance of the spring engraved itself into her memory as she let him touch her and hold her to him. He was gentle and sweet, making sure to be attentive to every part of her; however, as he held her, she could slightly feel the shiver of his hands. He was nervous? Was she his first? He wasn’t going to show it, if that were the case.  He wanted her to enjoy this moment, but seemed afraid of screwing up; his shivering hands showed her his emotions perfectly. The pleasure between them was heavenly and they went through it together in every kiss, every touch. She closed her eyes as she arched beneath him and gave herself to Damien completely. Her body, her mind, her soul: it all belonged to him as he held her. His body, his mind, his soul: it belonged to her as she gave into his embrace. The feel of his kisses and fingers over her skin would forever engrave themselves into her memory as their passion rose to incredible heights with each kiss and touch that they received and gave one another. Their breathing quickened and their moans to each other equally sounded and echoed like a blissful chant that they never wished to end. They moved, loved, felt every inch of their bodies as they melded together until they’d had enough and she was enveloped in his embrace as they reached the peak height. Skin to skin, heartbeats matching, they held each other in the glow of the aftermath. They couldn’t stay in the spring forever, though; eventually Damien managed to bring them both back to her room, laying them both in the bed to relax. They were both dried off before they hit the sheets, thanks to his magic. She nuzzled her head under Damien’s chin as he held her close

“I love you.” He drew out the words, making her smile.

“I love you too.” Just to hear those words come from Damien’s mouth made her heart flutter; to hear her own answer made her soul warm in joyous rapture. They both sank into a peaceful sleep together; it was the best sleep she’d had in days and she was happy. There were no regrets in her mind. She had love, happiness; her life was simply perfect in that moment. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself staring into Damien’s bare chest. She blushed, but looked up to see Damien still sleeping. To see him sleeping made her giggle softly in pure happiness, but the reality of the situation also made her heart flutter. She almost couldn’t believe it. She was lying next to the man she had grown to love with all her heart, warmed by his body heat even after the aftermath of their love making had vanished. His warm embrace made her feel safe and, as the tender moment they’d shared replayed in her head, she couldn’t help but smile and snuggle into his chest further. Unconsciously, he held her tighter to his body, giving her more of his warmth. She didn’t want to move, she was perfectly content and happy where she was at. Her mind didn’t wander as she simply basked in the feeling of joy and contentment that came with being in his embrace, nevermind that neither of them wore anything beneath the silk covers that draped over them gently. He was everything she could ever want in a partner... kind, caring... Loving, but also fierce when he needed to be and there was no doubt that he had both the power and the skill to protect her, should the need ever arise again. While there was a certain part of her that had been thrilled he’d been so adamant about protecting her... that he had trusted her with his true name to use to summon him whenever and wherever she may need him... she also hoped that she would never need to ever use it again. Well... not like that anyway. She hadn’t been daring enough, but the thought of saying his true name at the height of passion had crossed her mind. She just wasn’t sure how he’d react if she did something like that. She pursed her lips in thought over the matter. Should she ask first? She really was sorely tempted, but she didn’t want to cross some line. After all, it wasn’t something to be taken lightly... but neither was the love that she felt for him. Even if it had risen quickly over the few days she’d gotten to know him and his brothers. Despite that she knew more about them from the vision, she knew she still didn’t know everything. Mika felt that there was more behind each of the brothers, that their past delved deeper that what she’d been shown... even the extra that Damien had shown her in the vision had been only a small glimpse into the life he’d led. She knew that life wasn’t pretty for Damien and his brothers, thanks to Diana she knew more about Damien’s side than that of the others, but she couldn’t stop herself from imagining the reaction Damien might have if she had allowed herself to be bold enough to groan his true name out in pleasure.... She was sure it would be worth it... if he was okay with it that was. She didn’t want to make him mad at her for any reason... so yeah... she would have to ask him about that at a later time. As she tried to imagine how the conversation would go, she felt her core tighten and it made her move from his embrace and sit up without waking the man next to her. She felt her body begin to move, but it wasn’t of her own will and she had a feeling she knew who was behind this because while she was bold with Damien she really wasn’t bold enough to simply do as she was about to. She moved to the balcony window and opened the glass, stepping out on the patio without even bothering to dress first. Yeah, she definitely did not have THAT much bravado in her, which only made her angry that she was being forced into this even as the cool night air played over her skin. It took away the heat that she had gained in Damien’s embrace. She stared at Diana, who sat cross-legged on the railing of the balcony; her glowing red eyes staring at her, not caring about whether or not she had any clothes on as their eyes met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who skipped down here and not wanting to read the scene above, all you need know is that Diana has compelled the main character to her, with her magic, where she sits on the balcony.


	22. Diana's Offer

Mika opened her mouth to object, but Diana stopped her. 

“Before you get all huffy, I didn’t come here to take your precious man away. By the way, how was it exactly? Demons are the best lovers, after all...” There was no way she was answering that. She didn’t care if Diana was a demon herself. That experience was between her and Matthew and it was going to stay that way. She simply glared at her in answer to that question.

“What do you want, Diana?” 

“Well, I wanted to extend a deal to you. I promise you’ll like it.” 

“I don’t want any deals with you.” 

“Not even to make Damien human?” 

“I’m not giving you the boys!” 

“I’m not asking for the boys this time! Ugh....” Then what DID she want? She stared as Diana rubbed her temple, clearly annoyed. 

“This whole trip has been a waste of my time and energy. All I want to do is go back home and take over my kingdom.”

“Then why don’t you?” 

“Because I need more energy if I want to even  _ try _ to defend my home from that maniac Demon Lord. I may be brilliant, but I’m not exactly fortified to fight him.”  She pressed her lips into a flat line, waiting to hear what Diana wanted.

“Then, I’m listening.” 

“I’m willing to turn Damien human, if you’re willing to give me your energy... and his.” 

“Wait... what?” 

“Simple really. Give me the magic you’re holstering in your body and let me take Damien’s, and all I’ll be on my way and you’ll get a human boyfriend. A boring, plain, human boyfriend.” This sounded too simple, she couldn’t believe her ears...  what was the catch? 

“How would you take this energy?” She was suspicious about all of this. 

“From you, a simple kiss will do. From him... that’s a different story.” Uh huh... 

“What do you mean?” 

“I have to sleep with him.” And there it was. The catch she’d been waiting for; anger made her almost lunge at her. She must be joking.  _ Her _ sleep with  _ him _ ?! No way in hell! Diana held up her hands in defense.

“What you humans don’t understand is how we demons work. A touch is a mere sip of energy while sex is pure energy transferal: perfect for humans. A really passionate love-making session would drain any demon of their energy.”

“But he’s-” 

“Yes, yes, he’s your man, but I need the energy and you want him to get his wish. We both win, get it? I’ll even throw in a memory spell. He won’t even remember it.” Mika felt enraged. How was she okay with this?! How did she expect her to be okay with this?! 

“But what if he doesn’t want it?! I’m not going to let you rap-”

“If Damien doesn’t want it? Hahahaha! Silly girl, do you not understand what he’s willing to do for his humanity?” Diana smirked. 

“He’s  _ willing _ to have sex with me. He just won’t say yes in front of you because he doesn’t want to hurt you. It’s rather pathetic.” Well... that did make sense and it explained why he’d been silent when confronted with the question. Was this the truth though? It couldn’t be... could it? It made sense. Was it truly because he didn’t want hurt her though or was he just actually not willing? Diana’s voice broke into her thoughts.

“By the way, I’m not a total bitch if that’s what you’re thinking. I will ask him first before doing anything.” She was going to ask him? Why? Could she even trust Diana? 

“You’ll ask him? What if he actually doesn’t want sex with you for his humanity?” 

“If he says no, I’ll just toss him back here and not change him, hehehehe. I’m not willing to do it with someone who will say no to me.” The way she spoke about the deal annoyed Mika to no end. This was definitely a business deal, but it tore at her heart. Let him sleep with her and he’d become human... don’t and he’d remain a demon. She stared down at the floor, thinking this over. How far was she willing to go to give Damien what he wanted? Could she live with herself if she did this? She closed her eyes as she thought through it deeply. She knew her answer and looked back up at Diana in resolution as Damien’s face appeared in her memory, reminding her of his desperate wish to become a human. She was able to grant it to him right here. Diana was a cruel woman, but if this was what it took... 

“Fine.” 

“Fine? Meaning you’ll agree to my terms?” 

“I agree to your terms.” 

“Beautiful. Now...” Diana slid from the railing and walked to her, gently running a finger up her neck and under her chin.

“Your energy first.” She closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Diana as she kissed her. It wasn’t unpleasant by any means; in fact, she felt herself melting into it more than she wanted to. Every single nerve in her body tingled as the energy spiraled up from her and into Diana’s kiss. Soon she felt a little weaker and more vulnerable than she was before. Diana pulled away and smiled down at her. ‘

“Such an interesting human girl... sad to see you give up your power so easily...” 

“It’s for Damien.” 

“Right. Now, speaking of the bastard son...” She followed Diana back into the room; Diana walked to the bed and looked down at the sleeping figure. 

“Aww... such a sweet thing...” 

“How are you going to-” 

“I’ll enthrall him, take his energy, cleanse his body, make him forget, then cast the human spell when he goes back to sleep. Simple, really.” She said in a rush. 

“That’s it?” 

“That’s it. I’ll make sure there’s no trace of me when I’m done.” She giggled. 

“Just do it before I change my mind.” 

“Ahahaha! As you wish.” She snapped her fingers, making Damien vanish; instinctively she began to panic, but caught a hold of herself, remembering what was going on. 

“Remember to bring him back.” 

“I will. A demon  **never** goes back on their word.” With that, Diana vanished; Mika felt her stomach churn in disgust at the thought of Diana with Damien... but she’d agreed to this. Before she could sit down, Diana reappeared, adjusting her hair back to ‘normal.’ 

“Wha... what?” 

“What? ... Oh.” She let out a small laugh as Mika raised an eyebrow. 

“I brought him to an isolated tear between our worlds. There, time moves  _ much _ faster than in reality, so I was able to take what I need and be done.” She snapped her fingers, making Damien reappear as if he’d never left. 

“And there he is, clean and... human...” She quickly moved to Damien’s side, not sure what else to say. Diana sighed and popped a hip while crossing her arms. 

“Pity. Damien had so much potential... even for a bastard son.” 

“Can you-” Before she could speak further, Diana vanished into the air, leaving her alone with Damien. She looked around, a little paranoid, but as she clarified to herself that she was gone, she looked to Damien and brushed a strand of hair from his face. 

“Human...” She murmured. Something about this was bittersweet. He got what he wanted... but he had to sleep with Diana to get it...  She slipped back under the covers and into Damien’s arms, feeling him unconsciously hold her close. She cuddled close, letting the events drift from her mind and sleep take over. 


	23. The Path I Decided

Morning had come and Mika was well awake before Damien. He was still in her arms, sleeping peacefully as if nothing had happened. One thing was for certain, though: he was human. He was no longer a demon. He was a human... as he’d wanted. She waited, waited for him to wake up. She wanted to see him realize that he no longer had magic. She didn’t have to wait long. He slowly opened his eyes, stretching and waking up. She held her breath, waiting for him to make the realization, that he he wouldn’t be able to read her mind... wouldn’t be able to use magic. His eyes landed on her and a happy smile grew on his face.

“Mmm... Morn-” He stopped mid-word as he stared at her; his smile suddenly fading to a look of shock. His mouth opened, but his eyes showed his speechless surprise. He realized he couldn’t read her thoughts. He slowly sat up, keeping his eyes on her as if he was trying to figure out if he was in a dream. She gave him a small smile; it was almost too cute to see him like this. He brought a hand to her face and ran it over her cheek; she closed her eyes, feeling its warmth.

“I... I can’t read your mind... I don’t have magic anymore...” She opened her eyes again, smiling at Damien’s surprised expression now; there was surprised glee in his voice. 

“In exchange for my magic and energy, Diana gave you your humanity.” She stared, going almost frightful as his eyes began to water; the hand on her cheek began to tremble. She didn’t know if he was angry or happy, so she steeled herself for the former. She wasn’t expecting him to grab her and hug her tight enough to squeeze the air out of her. She gasped as she felt him hold her close and tightly. He was trembling, which only increased her fear, but moments later it vanished and her heart melted at the sound of him weeping into her shoulder. 

“I’m... I’m human... You made me human...” She wrapped her arms around Damien, burying her face in his shoulder and nodding. 

“You’re human now, Damien.” 

“Thank you...” He pulled away slightly and pulled her into a kiss, one that was passionate and full of love. She imagined it to be one of the greatest kisses of all mankind, for Damien’s love filled every part of her body. She was happy. 

 

The rest of the story can almost be passed over, really. With Diana gone, my life returned to normal with school and none of my classmates or the teachers remembering what had happened. It was as if magic had never even appeared in my world. It was the normalcy that I had come to expect even before the boys had come into my life. One thing was for certain, however: Matthew loved me and I loved him just as much. We had promised our lives to each other and nothing was going to take that away from us, not even time itself... as I had come to learn from grandfather’s journals there was a spell that could overcome that, more or less, by tying our two souls together so that where one went, the other would follow. Our love was so powerful, it practically overwhelmed me with joy every time I found him holding me close every morning. Every time he looked my way I felt a thrill of happiness. Even just hearing his voice. What was even better was that Damien was truly happy. He was human, as he always wanted, and he showed me his gratitude every day. Eventually the other boys decided to leave of their own accord. They knew that in the future I would only need Damien at my side, so they each decided to start their own lives in the human world. Damien understood perfectly, wishing his brothers the best. Besides, Damien was human now and had someone to care for. His brothers didn’t need to worry about him now that he was caring for me. I couldn’t help but feel bad, as well, for being closer to Damien than the others, but they all reassured me that it was okay and that they would remain nearby should I ever need them. I was happy for that. They made me promise, however, that I would love Damien for as long as we lived. That was a promise I gave instantly... but what of my future? Well, it was kinda made for me. Before I even finished the semester, James decided to step into the light of the Anderson Toys Company and, with the help of his demon powers and leadership charisma, he managed to influence not only the entire board, but my father as well into letting him run for CEO. I was beyond shocked to hear all this. How James managed to all that, especially in such a short time, was beyond me, but when the vote was called, James had taken over the company that I was ‘destined’ to have. He vowed to respect the wishes of the late CEO and helped the company become an even grander company. For a demon, it was simple to make a company grand. I didn’t mind, honestly, how things turned out. My grandfather would have been proud to see how James helped it shine. With the CEO position filled, her father had no choice but to let me decide my future, which made me happy beyond compare. No longer would I have the future scaring me into a corner; I could choose my life on my own. That being said, I was still scared of where the future was going to take me. What did I want to do? Did I want to help James build the company? Did I want to venture off on my own? Damien reassured me, even before my classes ended, that he would support me and help me through whatever I decided to do. I was grateful and would never forget that promise. I was happy, and nothing could shake me down from that happiness. 

 

One morning,  a couple of years after the boys and Mika had met, she had a moment to herself; so she wandered her house and took in all that had happened, as if it were all a dream. The demons, the devils, the magic: it was all too surreal to believe. It almost frightened her to think that it could have been all a dream. That it wasn’t real, but the warm feeling in her heart reminded her that it was all real: the demons, the magic, the love she had... all of it was **real** . She smiled to herself as she held her hands to her chest, relishing in the feelings dancing within her heart and soul.

“Are you okay?” She looked up to see Damien by the Doorway, smiling at her; she smiled back.

“Mmhmmm. I was just thinking.” 

“Oh? What about?”

“I was just remembering how we met and such.” 

“Really now?” 

“Yeah, and I wouldn’t change anything.” She smiled in assurance at her own words. Everything she went through, everything she did for Damien... she’d do it again, ten times over. He walked over and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“You wouldn’t change anything?” 

“Nope.” He looked at her with an almost knowing smile. He knew something, she just didn’t know what.

“I know about the real deal that made me human.” She paled, every part of her seemed to freeze. He  _ knew _ ?! How?! Diana had said she’d put a spell on him to make him forget!

“W-what do you mean?” He stood up and walked to the window, staring out.

“My humanity in exchange for your energy... and mine.” She quickly stood up. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say... she fumbled.

“Damien.... I-”

“I know what you agreed to let Diana take my energy if she agreed to remove my memories and make me human.”

“Damien...” She tried again, but words were failing her now. She walked over and tried to reach out to him only to stop before she even touched him. The choice she’d made was coming back to haunt her. She felt hopeless and powerless. She didn’t know what to do, her heart was ripping itself in two; she had never meant for him to know...  It was bad enough she’d agreed to it; however, Damien looked over at her with a smile. 

“Well... Diana didn’t make me have sex with her.” 

“... What?” She could only stare in confusion as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. 

“She took my energy, yes, but through a ritual. Demons don’t completely lose their energy through sex, so she decided I was not worth the lay and simply put me through a draining ritual, used only for demons who are going to be executed.” 

“But... but she made a deal...” 

“She didn’t have to remove memories if she didn’t have sex with me. She still kept her word.” She furrowed her brows a bit in thought as the words sank in. She was dumbfounded. She’d been had. Completely and utterly played. That bitch. Damien laughed at the anger that rose to her face, pulling her closer and leaning his forehead on hers. 

“Still, to think you’d make me sleep with her just to get my humanity.” 

“You wanted to be human and there was no other way I could think of...” He kissed her forehead.

“No. No, there wasn’t any other way.”

“I’m sorry...” He lifted her chin, making her look up at him; she felt completely guilty. She’d let him be taken over by Diana and he  _ could _ have slept with her, all for his humanity.

“Don’t be sorry. You wanted me to be happy... if anything, you sacrificed a lot more than I could have...” She pressed her lips together, not wanting to feel more guilt; she knew he was trying to make her feel better, but she still felt utterly gross for letting that happen. He laughed before he kissed her cheek, making her guilt slightly shudder.

“I understand why, okay? Please, don’t beat yourself up over this.” She felt tears run down her cheeks.  _ I don’t deserve to be held by him... _ She felt sick to her stomach at herself. She tried to pull away, but Damien held her tighter, not letting her get away.

“No, let go...” 

“Hey, hey, calm down...” Calm down? How could she?! She had... Damien pulled her closer, pulling her head to his chest and trying to soothe her crying. She gripped onto him, conflicted at her own actions; her own thoughts. She wanted to get away from him, but at the same time she desperately needed to hold him. 

“Diana thought you were very brave to make that decision. She respected you for making that kind of sacrifice. It’s not easy to give the one you love away like that for their happiness...” He lifted her head once again, a world of love within his eyes. 

“I love you so much... I don’t deserve your love at all. You gave me everything- you made me HUMAN. For that, I can never repay you....” 

“Damien...” Her tears slowed; before she could finish, he pulled her into a kiss. It reminded her of all the love they shared and all the love that they would share together. She gripped his shoulders as he held her close. She pulled away from the kiss slowly, looking up at him, still slightly pained in guilt though her tears had dried.

“You forgive me?” He smiled and lifted her up, wrapping his arms around her waist and looking up at her with the happiest and most loving smile on his face. 

“A lifetime with the woman I love is well worth forgiving you.” She felt a large smile grow on her face, happy tears now painting over her cheeks. 

“I love you, Damien.” 

“I love you too.” 

 

I didn’t want to wake up if this was indeed a dream. I felt light as a feather, not wanting to ever let go of this man in my life. There were no words that could describe the emotions within me. I felt joy, happiness, ecstatic, high... all at once. Here I was, with the man I would be with forever holding me like I was his greatest treasure. The past was behind us. We had a future to meet. And, even if they don’t exist really... that was my “happily ever after.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this is the continuation of the story from where Seduce Me: The Fall left off, this is the line of events if the player chooses to romance Damien. Also, because I altered the timeline of the story from when it actually takes place in the game, there are elements of the story that are in the game that do not appear in my story. The main character also reflects my thoughts on certain scenes and scenarios, most of which doesn't appear in the game as the player's character has some pre-set thoughts and actions in terms of her personality; since this is the case, and I don't really match up with the main character... I have changed much of the narrative (mostly added to it) of the original story to be more in line with my personality than the one that is given to the character.
> 
> As mentioned in the first part, this game is more restricted on actual player decisions than the sequel. Certain actions/thoughts in the game are there simply to either progress the story or to be the reason for a certain reaction out of another character. This being said, I hope you enjoy my rendition of this story. :)


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